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THE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE 

EDITED FOR THE SYNDICS OF THE 

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THE 

TWO GENTLEMEN 

OF VERONA 



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THE 

TWO GENTLEMEN 

OF VERONA 




NiMtt lark 

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

1921 

All rights reserved 






COPYBJGHT, 1921 

By the MACMILLAX COMPANY 



Set up and electrotyped. Published September. 1921. 



OCT IS 1921 



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CONTENTS 

PORTRAIT OF EDWARD ALLEYN frontispiece 

INTRODUCTION PAGE vii 

TO THE READER XX 

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA I 

THE COPY FOR THE TEXT OF 1 623 TJ 

NOTES 83 

THE STAGE-HISTORY IO5 

GLOSSARY 107 



THE FRONTISPIECE IS A REPRODUCTION OF THE PAINTING 
AT DULWICH COLLEGE. ALLEYN, THE MOST FAMOUS OF 
ELIZABETHAN TRAGIC PLAYERS, WAS WITH SHAKESPEARE*S 
COMPANY IN 1592-4 AND IS LIKELY, THEREFORE, TO HAVE 
ACTED IN HIS EARLY DRAMAS 



THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF 
VERONA 

So far as we know, this play first achieved print in 
the Folio of 1623, where it follows The Tempest, But 
it stands first on the list of six comedies mentioned by- 
Meres in 1598; and all internal tests, of craftsmanship 
and versification, point to a date considerably earlier 
yet. It is indeed, by general consent, a youthful pro- 
duction: and we may pretty safely place it somewhere 
near the threshold of Shakespeare's dramatic career. 

At all events, in the long interval before the stage 
copy reached the Folio printers the theatrical people 
had played some strange tricks upon it. Shakespeare's 
original carelessness may perhaps have been to blame 
for mixing up Verona and Padua with Milan \ as for 
giving Verona a roadstead and starting Valentine for 
Milan — as easily as one might start him from Oxford 
to Cambridge — by sea. Shakespeare, first and last, 
was sadly addicted to finishing oflF a play in a hurry. 
But the final scene of the Two Gentlemen is vitiated (as 
we hope to show) by a flaw too unnatural to be charged 
upon Shakespeare. 

Reserving this, and putting the vexation of it out 
of our thought for the moment, we can enjoy the play 
as a light and jocund Italianate comedy — Italianate, 
that is, in the Elizabethan fashion, when it chose to 
take its Italy gaily. For Italy was the traditional, 
almost conventional, scene of Elizabethan drama, and 
could be taken either way — with vice and murder, 
Borgia cups, daggers, tortures and intellectual refine- 
ments of depravity (with its * blackguard quality air,' 

1 See notes on 2. 5. i; 3. i. 81; 5. 4. 130. 



vlli THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

to use Carlyle's phrase of King John), or with masks, 
mandoHns and pretty amorous intrigue. Verona serves 
as background for Julia and for Juliet; Venice for Shy- 
lock and for Othello as handily as for Gratiano; and 
Launce and Launcelot Gobbo are brothers and might 
inhabit either. In the original version of that most 
English of comedies. Every Man in his Humour, Jonson 
laid the scene in Florence and gave his characters 
Italian names. Few will deny that by transferring 
the scene to London and turning his eccentrics into 
English men and women he made — by this process 
alone — a vastly better play; that in his native-grown 
Comedy of Humours this increase of realism increases 
his vivacity and verisimilitude. The audience ap- 
proved, and the successors and congeners of Every 
Man in his Humour — Epicoene, The Alchemist, Barthol- 
omew's Fair — were duly located in or near London. 

Our Scene is London, 'cause we would make knowne 
No countries mirth is better then our owne.... 

(Prologue to The Alchemist, 1610.) 

The apology, however, hints the innovation. In 1598 
Jonson would stage his British comedy in Florence as 
unhesitatingly as, ten years or so later, Webster staged 
his Italianate White Devil in Rome or Padua; or — 
shall we say? — with no more trouble of artistic con- 
science than Shakespeare felt in dodging the centuries 
and dragging the right Renaissance scoundrel lachimo 
into a supposed early-British Tragedie of Cymheline. 
' Somewhere in Italy ' was in fact the spot where an 
Elizabethan playwright and his audience started upon 
agreed terms. Apart from the tradition and the ro- 
mance of it, this convention of Italy conveniently 
accommodated the players, under a wide range of 
magnificent titles, with a still wider wardrobe of 
magnificent and miscellaneous costumes. 



INTRODUCTION ix 

Guess-work suggests that in The Two Gentlemen of 
Verona Shakespeare recast an old lost play The History 
of Felix a7id Philiomena, entered in the Revels Ac- 
counts, 1584-5, as having been acted by the Queen's 
compan}?' at Greenwich 'on the sondaie next after 
neweyeares daie at night': because the Proteus and 
Julia story comes straight out of an episodic tale in a 
Spanish romance, Diana Enamorada, written by a 
Portuguese, Jorge de Montemeyor, and translated by 
Bartholomew Yonge; and because the names in the 
title of this lost play repeat (with allowance made for 
a copyist's error) the names of the hero, * Felix,' and 
the heroine, *Felismena,' of Montemeyor' s story. 
Felix woos Felismena by letter, with her maid as inter- 
mediary; he travels to Court and is pursued by Felis- 
mena in male attire; she lodges at an inn, overhears 
him serenading another mistress, takes service with 
him as a page — the recognition being effected later 
after a scene of combat in a forest. There are other 
points of resemblance, but these may suffice. 

We shall get more instruction perhaps — as we shall 
certainly get more amusement — from looking forward 
than from casting back. For The Two Gentlemen of 
Verona holds a store of stage-effects which Shakespeare 
kept henceforth in his locker, to try them and to im- 
prove on them again and again. For a few examples — 

(i) It would seem that he was already acquainted 
with George Brooke's poem of Romeus and Juliet (1562) : 
for our play anticipates Romeo and Juliet (based upon 
that poem) in a number of particulars — the place, 
Verona; Silvia's window and balcony, most like Juliet's; 
the rope-ladder which Valentine has patented ahead 
of Romeo. Juliet makes assignation at * Friar Laurence ' 
cell'; but Silvia has been beforehand with her 

at Friar Patrick's cell 
Where I intend holy confession — 



X THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

and (as Fluellen might say) there is a Friar Laurence 
in both. Valentine's burden of despair on the word 
'banished' preludes Romeo's descant^: 

There is no world without Verona walls 
But purgatory, torture, hell itself. 
Hence-banished is banished from the world. 
And world's exile is death: then banished 
Is death mis-termed... 

— and so on, through a score of suggestions and echoes. 

(2) But when we come to The Merchant of Venice 
these echoes multiply. We have already noted" the 
brotherly likeness between Launce and Launcelot 
Gobbo. It is a trifle in comparison with the scenes in 
which Julia and Portia discuss choice of suitors with 
their maids; a trifle when we consider the number of 
heroines Shakespeare set travelling after Julia in man's 
attire: Rosalind, Viola, Imogen and every single woman 
in The Merchant of Venice — Portia, Jessica, Nerissa. 
On a minor point, we may compare the use of the ring- 
token to bring about 'recognition' in these two plays. 

The mission of the disguised Julia to Silvia is re- 
peated and beautifully improved in Twelfth Night. 
The outlaw business is worked better and better in 
successive plays. Speed's discourse on the marks of a 
lover is father of a numerous progeny.. ..But we have 
said enough, and need not extend the list. 

We may, then (still bating the last scene), read in The 
Two Gentlemen something more than a graceful story 
charmingly told. It is that: but it also fixes and holds in 
arrest for us a fleet youthful and peculiarly fascinating 
phase or moment in the efflorescence of Shakespeare's art: 

For ever warm and still to be enjoyed, 
For ever panting and for ever young! 

and our pleasure in studying it, though we have begun 

with dramatic 'eff*ects,' by no means ends with them. 

1 v. note on 3. i. 170-87. 



INTRODUCTION xi 

The diction is melodious, on the whole too melliflu- 
ous. 'Fine writing' still engages him, and a butterfly 
'conceit' still allures him to pursue and over-run it. 
Lucetta has already (i. 2. 30) announced of love that 

Fire that's closest kept burns most of all — 
and Julia elaborates this later (2. 7. 24) into 

The more thou damm'st it up, the more it burns: 

The current that with gentle murmur ghdes, 

Thou know'st, being stopped, impatiently doth rage: 

But when his fair course is not hindered 

He makes sweet music with th'enamelled stones, 

Giving a gentle kiss to every sedge 

He overtaketh in his pilgrimage; 

And so by many winding nooks he strays. 

With willing sport, to the wide ocean.... 

We all remember the passage for its imagery, its cadence, 
and its delicately chosen words. But it is boyish, inex- 
perienced: it keeps the speaker dallying luxuriously with 
an image while the dramatic moment slips away; the 
passion requisite for fusing the two having had time to 
cool. It is pretty: but it has not the masterly touch of 
And unregarded age in corners thrown 



or 



limed soul, that struggling to be free 

Art more engaged! Help, angels! make assay... 

or 

The lamentable change is from the best; 
The worst returns to laughter. 

For promise of that, to find it in The Two Gentlemen, 
we must seek among chance lines: 

Poor wounded name: my bosom, as a bed. 

Shall lodge thee till thy wound be thoroughly healed. 

Wilt thou reach stars, because they shine on thee? 

Who should be trusted, when one's own right hand 
Is perjured to the bosom? 

But the promise is there. 



xil THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

There is notable promise, too, in the characters. 
The Two Gentlemen would seem to be the earliest play 
in which Shakespeare turned from 'construction' — 
that idol of artistic beginners — to weld character into 
his plot. Again as in The Comedy of Errors he gives us 
two gentlemen with a servant apiece: but this time he 
discriminates master from master, servant from ser- 
vant, to individualise them. To be sure, because he 
has to follow a ready-made story, we find him experi- 
menting most happily upon the characters — upon 
Launce, for example — who give him most liberty be- 
cause they are least tied to obey the exigencies of the 
intrigue. Proteus has to play the almost incredibly 
false friend, in order to work the story; and to make it 
plausible, even to himself, must spend most of his 
time and ours upon cold sophistries. Valentine and 
Silvia have been well called two * silver-point studies,' 
'somewhat high-fantastical, but gentleman and lady 
to the core.' The plot allows them high moments of 
generosity — nay, even works upon these — yet in its 
motion treats the pair as dupes, almost as dummies. 
For example, it is not by proof or by prowess that 
Valentine becomes captain of the outlaws, but simply 
because they like his looks and accept his bare word 
for his linguistic attainments. 

Nevertheless, and throughout the play, we feel that 
Shakespeare, though — with the exceptions of Julia and 
Launce — he cannot, without making them dull, keep 
any of his dramatis personae steadily consistent, is always 
keeping them lively and always bringing them to the 
edge, at least, of startling us by some individuality. We 
feel, as we read, that these people are impatient of the 
convention within which they are held: that any one of 
them, at any moment, may break out and do some- 
thing original; and this holds us in an atmosphere of ex- 
pectancy which, if not the same as reality, curiously 



INTRODUCTION xii 

resembles it. Yet while individualising these people, he 
is learning to give them — the women especially — that 
catholic kinship which communicates to us, as we wan- 
der in Shakespeare's great portrait gallery, a delightful 
sense of intimacy, of recognition. They belong to a 
family — our family — the Human Family. For this trick 
of feature (we have already compared Julia and Lucetta 
with Portia and Nerissa, discussing suitors) let us take 
Silvia's hesitancy in handing back Valentine's letter: 

Silvia. Yes, yes: the lines are very quaintly writ, 
But — since unwillingly — take them again... 
Nay, take them. 

Valentine. Madam, they are for you. 

Silvia. Ay, ay: you writ them, sir, at my request, 
But I will none of them: they are for you: 
I would have had them writ more movingly... 

[he takes the letter 

Valentine. Please you, Til write your ladyship another. 

Silvia. And when it's writ... for my sake read, it over. 
And, if it please you, so. ..if not. ..why, so... 

Valentine. If it please me, madam, what then? 

Silvia. Why, if it please you, take it for your labour; 
And so good-morrow, servant. 

and let us, bearing it in mind, cast forward to Beatrice's 
feminine hesitancy in Much Ado about Nothing: 

Benedick. I do love nothing in the world so well as you — 
is not that strange? 

Beatrice. As strange as the thing I know not. It were as 
possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you, but 
believe me not, and yet I lie not, I confess nothing, nor I 
deny nothing, I am sorry for my cousin i. 

We come now to the final scene, and, in particular, 
to the passage which has offended so many critics of sen- 
sibility: the lines in which Valentine * empties' — as the 
Germans say — 'the baby with the bath,' and, after 
pardoning his false friend, proceeds to give away (in 

iThe Folio allows no stop heavier than a comma to the 
hurry of this speech. 



xiv THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

every sense) his most loyal lady-love to her would-be 
ravisher. Here they are, as printed in the Folio: 

Pro. My shame and guilt confounds me: 
Forgiue me Falentine: if hearty sorrow 
Be a sufficient Ransome for offence, 
I tender't heere: I doe as truely suffer, 
As ere I did commit. 

Val. Then I am paid: 
And once again, I doe receive thee honest; 
Who by Repentance is not satisfied, 
Is nor of heauen, nor earth; for these are pleased: 
By Penitence th' Eternalls wrath's appeas'd: 
And that my loue may appeare plaine and free. 
All that was mine, in Siluia, I give thee. 

Jul. Oh me unhappy. 

Pro. Looke to the Bov. 

Fal. Why, Boy? ^ 
Why wag: how now.^ what's the matter.^ look vp: 
speak. 

* All that was mine in Silvia I give thee ' — one's impulse, 
upon this declaration, is to remark that there are, by this 
time, ?io gentlemen in Verona. 

\Ve must not, without a second thought, pronounce 
that this and the preceding line are not Shakespeare's — 
could not have been written by Shakespeare. They are 
uncouth: but he wrote, first and last, many uncouth 
lines, and his present editors will not challenge an ob- 
vious retort by making affidavit of their private con- 
viction — firm though it be — that he never wrote these. 
They are dramatically inconsistent: they disappoint all 
that we suppose ourselves to know of Valentine's char- 
acter, and so unexpectedly that we feel it like a slap in 
the face. But again it is not quite enough to say 

That he could have deliberately set himself to mar, in this 
concluding scene, his two silver-point studies of \ alentine 
and Silvia, those may believe who will. That he could have 
done it, and not known what he was doing, is incredible. 

adding that, if he really intended it, 



INTRODUCTION xv 

Why, we are left face to face with a mistake in art, an 
offence against dramatic propriety, which has no distant 
resemblance to anything else that is Shakespeare^s. It is 
not a matter of youthful inexperience: there is no plausibility 
in the forlorn suggestion that he was imitating the faults of 
older dramatists. The couplet is no part of his conception i. 

For mediaeval and Renaissance writers had a fashion 
with Friendship: a literary convention of refining, ideal- 
ising, exalting it out of all proportion, or at any rate 
above the proportion it bears, in our modern minds, 
either to love between man and woman or to parental 
love. We see it perhaps at its most extravagant in the 
famous story of Jmis and Amile^ in which Amile at the 
command of an angel slays his two children that their 
blood may wash Amis free of leprosy: but we realise it 
better in Montaigne, balancing his avowals of affection 
for Etienne de la Boetie against anything and everything 
he says of marital love: for in the Essays we have this 
disproportion homelily, cheerfully, reduced to matter-of- 
fact and taken for granted. But we need not seek even 
beyond Shakespeare. That the convention lay strong 
upon him no one can doubt who studies the Sonnets, or 
weighs the claims of friendship and love in The Merchant 
of Venice. ' Shall we say, then,' writes Dowden, of this 
passage, 'that Shakespeare was here sacrificing truth 
and nature to a convention of the time?' Or may we 
rather admit that, after all, there is some plausibility in 
*the forlorn suggestion' that he was — not 'imitating the 
faults of older dramatists ' — but working on an old play; 
and that, in the end, after re-furbishing the story and 
making its characters life-like, he found himself faced 
with a conventional denouement and closed the account 
with a tag of doggerel either contemptuously invented 
or transferred literally from the corpus vile? 

1 Sir George Young in The Reading University College 
Review, vol. vii. No. 19. 



xvi THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

It is possible: and we will give a deviPs advocate yet 
a little farther scope. There is a tradition (which we are 
unable to trace to its source) that The Two Gentlemen of 
Verona proved a failure on the stage. If so, nothing in 
the play would account for it so easily as this most cru- 
cial blunder. 

Allowing something — not too much, we think — to 
this tradition, we offer another hypothesis: first asking 
the reader to turn to our Note on the Copy for The Two 
Gentlemen of Verona^ pp. 77-82 of this volume (noting 
especially pp. 79-81), where he will find our reasons for 
believing that the botcher's hand — or, may be, the 
hands of several botchers — may be detected in our text 
and throughout it. But here we deal with the most fla- 
grant and vitiating passage, and suggest a possible ex- 
planation — there is no possible excuse. It may be, then, 
that Shakespeare invented a solution which at the first 
performance was found to be ineffective; that the final 
scene was partly re-written — not by Shakespeare — and 
given its crude and conventional coup de theatre; that in 
this mutilated form it remained on the play-copy; and 
that so it reached the printer. We believe, at any rate, 
that no one can re-read this scene carefully without de- 
tecting that pieces of it are Shakespeare's and other 
pieces have been inserted by a 'faker' who not only was 
not Shakespeare, but did not possess even a rudimentary 
ear for blank verse. The opening lines bewray him: 

^Outlaw. Come, come, be patient: we must bring you 

to our captain. 
Silvia, A thousand more mischances than this one 
Have learned me how to brook this patiently. 

2 Outlaw. Come, bring her away. 

1 Outlaw. Where is the gentleman that was with her.? 

3 Outlaw, Being nimble-footed, he hath outrun us. 
But Moses and Valerius follow him: 

Go thou with her to the west end of the wood. 
There is our captain: we'll follow him that's fled. 



INTRODUCTION xvii 

Shakespeare's prosody is often easy-going, and not 
seldom — to a pedantic mind — perverse: but to our ear 
it is never slipshod or vicious in that way. And this 
faultiness exactly coincides with a significant, if a minor, 
fault of dramatic craftsmanship — the damnation of Sir 
Eglamour's taking-off. Sir Eglamour — not to be con- 
fused with the knight of that name who figures among 
Julia's suitors in Act i, Scene 2 ^ — has obviously been 
dragged into the plot by no fault of his own. He is just 
an honest, simple gentleman on whose chivalry Silvia 
makes claim for help in a most difficult adventure. 

O Eglamour, thou art a gentleman... 
Upon whose faith and honour I repose. 

His answer is prompt, as his service is punctual. 
Without warning or excuse he is reported to have taken 
to his heels like the veriest poltroon! At once, helped 
by muddled versification, we perceive that this scene 
is running agley, that some interposing hand is murder- 
ing the verse along with dramatic consistency. Amid 
lines that have Shakespeare's trick and cadence are 
thrust strange ones that no ear can accept for his. 
Suddenly, with the crisis, we come upon the doggerel: 

And that my love may appear plain and free, 
All that was mine in Silvia I give thee. 

Having noted the jingle which follows on the rhyme of 
'pleased' and * appeased,' we note further that there is 
only one other instance in this melodiously written 
play of an unrhymed speech finished off with two 
rhymed couplets; and that is the very speech (uttered 
by Proteus) which, if it have any meaning at all, im- 
proves in caddishness upon Valentine's offence: 

heaven, were man 

But constant, he were perfect; that one error 
Fills him with faults... 

1 But cf note i. 2. 9. 



xviii THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

— so far Shakespeare, perhaps: now for cacophony 
followed by nonsense: 

makes him run through all th' sins; 
Inconstancy falls off ere it begins: 
What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy 
More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye? 

Can anyone believe Shakespeare guilty of this pair 
of tags: the first lame in scansion and unmeaning, the 
second balanced for our choice between nonsense and 
rascality? And where is Silvia in all this business? 
She is merely left. She utters not a word after Valen- 
tine's pesudo-magnificent, pseudo-romantic, renuncia- 
tion. * A curious essay,' says Dowden, * might be written 
upon the silences of some of the characters of Shake- 
speare.' It would be an ingenious one if it could account 
for Silvia's silence here save by the alternatives, either 
of her being sick and tired of both her lovers, or of the 
whole scene's being (as we submit) a piece of theatre 
botchwork patched upon the original. 

But it will be asked, if we omit 

All that was mine in Silvia I give thee 

— how do we account for Julia's swoon? Our own an- 
swer is that we do not try to account for it: our 
hypothesis being that the swoon and the couplet to- 
gether are * other man's work'; that Shakespeare had 
another denouement which possibly proved ineffective on 
the stage, and that the one we have is a stage-adapter's 
substitute. To be sure, the stage-direction 'faints' 
or 'swoons ' is an interpolation, not found in the Folio 
(which, in the text of this play, provides no stage-direc- 
tions) : but it seems to be required by the context as the 
passage stands. Sir George Young surmises that Julia 
does not really swoon but shams swooning. He holds 
Julia to be, in comparison with Silvia, something of an 
ordinary wench; that she and Proteus together are por- 



INTRODUCTION xix 

trayed as Movers of common clay, of less than second- 
rate refinement,' meant to be a foil to chivalrous Valen- 
tine and Silvia. On our reading of the play we dissent: 
we really must divorce Julia from Proteus at this point. 
But we think it fair to give his interpretation: 

...Julia had all her quick and rather vulgar wits about her. 
She thinks her little romance has been in the background 
long enough. She heaves a deep sigh and throws herself on 
the grass. This she does, as she proceeds directly to explain, 
because she has * forgotten * to give Silvia the ring which 
Silvia has positively refused to receive from her. She then 
proceeds to play off on Proteus the same sly little game, of 
handing him the wrong ring, which she had already tried 
and found superfluous with Silvia, when she handed her the 
wrong letter. Her demeanour is an obvious make-up, to 
attract attention and lead to the recognition for which she 
has become impatient. 

This may — though we doubt it — Interpret the passage 
as it stands. But it offends against our opinion of Julia: 
and, for the rest, we content ourselves with the questions 
we have raised on the scene. We know that when Shake- 
speare was old enough, and craftsman enough, to devise 
the * recognition ' in the last scene of Cymheliney with its 

Why did you throw your wedded lady from you.f* 

he could do better: and we believe that even in The Two 
Gentlemen he wrote something which, if theatrically 
ineffective, was better, because more natural, than the 
text allows us to know. Q. 



TO THE READER 

The following is a brief description of the punctuation 
and other typographical devices employed in the text, 
which have been more fully explained in the Note on 
Punctuation and the Textual Introduction to be found in 
The Tempest volume: 

An obelisk (f) implies corruption or emendation, and 
suggests a reference to the Notes. 

A single bracket at the beginning of a speech signifies 
an 'aside.' 

Four dots represent a full-stop in the original, except 
when it occurs at the end of a speech, and they mark 
a long pause. 

Original colons or semicolons, which denote a some- 
what shorter pause, are retained, or represented as three 
dots when they appear to possess special dramatic 
significance. 

Similarly, significant commas have been given as 
dashes. 

Round brackets are taken from the original, and mark 
a significant change of voice; when the original brackets 
seem to imply little more than the drop in tone accom- 
panying parenthesis, they are conveyed by commas or 
dashes. 

In plays for which both Folio and Quarto texts exist, 
passages taken from the text not selected as the basis 
for the present edition will be enclosed within square 
brackets. 

Single inverted commas (* ') are editorial; double ones 
C ") derive from the original, v\^here they are used to 
draw attention to maxims, quotations, etc. 

The reference number for the first line is given at the 
head of each page. Numerals in square brackets are 
placed at the beginning of the traditional acts and 



THE 

TWO GENTLEMEN 

OF VERONA 



. the two gentlemen 



The scene: Verona, Milan and a forest 
near Milan 

CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY 
Duke of Milan, father to Silvia 
Valentine 
Proteus 

Antonio, father to Proteus 
Thurio, a foolish rival to Valentine 
Eglamour, agent for Silvia in her escape 
Speed, a clownish servant to Valentine 
Launce, the like to Proteus 
Panthino, servant to Antonio 
Host, where Julia lodges 
Outlaws, with Valentine 
Julia, beloved of Proteus 
Silvia, beloved of Valentine 
LucETTA, waiting-woman to Julia 

Servants, musicians 



THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF 
VERONA 

[i. I.] Verona: a street near Julians house; 

trees and a seat 

Valentine, dressed for a journey; Proteus 

Valentine. Cease to persuade, my loving Proteus; 
Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits. 
Were't not affection chains thy tender days 
To the sweet glances of thy honoured love, 
I rather would entreat thy company 
To see the wonders of the world abroad. 
Than, living dully sluggardized at home. 
Wear out thy youth with shapeless idleness.... 
But, since thou lov'st; love still and thrive therein, 
Even as I would when I to love begin. 

Proteus, Wilt thou be gone? Sweet Valentine, adieu. 
Think on thy Proteus, when thou — haply — seest 
Some rare note- worthy object in thy travel.... 
Wish me partaker in thy happiness. 
When thou dost meet good hap; and in thy danger — 
If ever danger do environ thee — 
Commend thy grievance to my holy prayers. 
For I will be thy beadsman, Valentine. 

Valentine, And on a love-book pray for my success! 

Proteus. Upon some book I love Til pray for thee. 

Valentine. That's on some shallow story of deep love. 
How young Leander crossed the Hellespont. 

Proteus. That's a deep story of a deeper love. 
For he was more than over-shoes in love. 

Valentine. 'Tis true; for you are over-boots in love. 
And yet you never swam the Hellespont. 



4 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 1. 1. 27 

Proteus. Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots. 

Valentine, No, I will not; for it boots thee not. 

Proteus. What.f^ 

Valentine. To be in love; where scorn is bought with 
groans: 
Coy looks, with heart-sore sighs: one fading moment's 

mirth. 
With twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights; 
If haply won, perhaps a hapless gain; 
If lost, why then a grievous labour won; 
How ever... but a folly bought with wit, 
Or else a wit by folly vanquished. 

Proteus. So, by your circumstance, you call me fool. 

Valentine. So, by your circumstance, I fear, you'll 
prove. 

Proteus. 'Tis Love you cavil at. I am not Love. 

Valentine. Love is your master, for he masters you; 
And he that is so yoked by a fool, 
Methinks should not be chronicled for wise. 

Proteus. Yet writers say; As in the sweetest bud 
The eating canker dwells, so eating love 
Inhabits in the finest wits of all. 

Valentine. And writers say; As the most forward bud 
Is eaten by the canker ere it blow. 
Even so by love the young and tender wit 
Is turned to folly — blasting in the bud, 
Losing his verdure even in the prime, 
And all the fair effects of future hopes.... 
But wherefore waste I time to counsel thee 
That art a votary to fond desire.^ 
Once more adieu: my father at the road 
Expects my coming, there to see me shipped. 

Proteus. And thither will I bring thee, Valentine. 

Valentine. Sweet Proteus, no: now let us take our 
leave; 
To Milan let me hear from thee by letters. 



I. 1. 58 OF VERONA 5 

Of thy success in love; and what news else 
Betideth here in absence of thy friend: 
And I Hkewise will visit thee with mine. 

Proteus, All happiness bechance to thee in Milan. 

Valentine, As much to you at home: and so, farewell. 
[they embrace and Valentine goes his way 

Proteus, He after honour hunts, I after love; 
He leaves his friends, to dignify them more; 
I leave myself, my friends, and all for love... 
Thou, Julia, thou hast metamorphosed me: 
Made me neglect my studies, lose my time; 
War with good counsel; set the world at nought; 
Made wit with musing, weak; heart sick with thought. 

Speed runs up breathless, carrying luggage 

Speed. Sir Proteus... ^save you. ..saw you my master.? 

Proteus. But now he parted hence to embark for Milan. 

Speed. Twenty to one then he is shipped already, 
And I have played the sheep in losing him. 

Proteus, Indeed a sheep doth very often stray, 
An if the shepherd be awhile away. 

Speed, You conclude that mymaster is a shepherd then, 
and I a sheep.? 

Proteus, I do. 

Speed, Why then my horns are his horns, whether I 
wake or sleep. 

Proteus, A silly answer, and fitting well a sheep. 

Speed, This proves me still a sheep. 

Proteus, True: and thy master a shepherd. 

Speed. Nay, that I can deny by a circumstance. 

Proteus, It shall go hard but I'll prove it by another. 

Speed, The shepherd seeks the sheep, and not the sheep 
the shepherd; but I seek my master, and my master 
seeks not me: therefore I am no sheep. 



6 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 1. 1. 87 

Proteus. The sheep for fodder follow the shepherd, the 
shepherd for food follows not the sheep: thou for wages 
followest thy master, thy master for wages follows not 
thee: therefore thou art a sheep. 

Speed. Such another proof will make me cry *baa/ 

Proteus, But dost thou hear? gav'st thou my letter to 
Julia? 

Speed. Ay, sir: I, a lost mutton, gave your letter to 
her, a laced mutton, and she, a laced mutton, gave me, 
a lost mutton, nothing for my labour. 

Proteus. Here's too small a pasture for such a store of 
muttons. 

Speed. If the ground be overcharged, you were best 
stick her. 

Proteus. Nay, in that you are a-stray... 'twere best 
pound you. 

Speed. Nay sir, less than a pound shall serve me for 
carrying your letter. 

Proteus. You mistake; I mean the pound, a pinfold. 

Speed. From a pound to a pin — fold it over and over, 
'Tis threefold too little for carrying a letter to your 
lover. 

Proteus, fBut what said she? [Speed nods] Nod? 

Speed, Ay. 

Proteus. Nod-ay, why that's noddy. 

Speed. You mistook, sir: I say she did nod; and you ask 
me if she did nod, and I say, * Ay.' 

Proteus, And that set together, is 'noddy.' 

Speed, Now you have taken the pains to set it together, 
take it for your pains. 

Proteus, No, no, you shall have it for bearing the 
letter. 

Speed, Well, I perceive I must be fain to bear with you. 

Proteus, Why, sir, how do you bear with me? 

Speed. Marry sir, the letter very orderly — having noth- 
ing but the word * noddy' for my pains. 



I. I. 121 OF VERONA 7 

Proteus. Beshrew me, but you have a quick wit. 

Speed. And yet it cannot overtake your slow purse. 

Proteus. Come, come, open the matter in brief; what 
said she? 

Speed. Open your purse, that the money and the mat- 
ter may be both at once dehvered. 

Proteus. Well, sir: [giving him money] here is for your 
pains. ..What said she.f* 

Speed [eyeing the coin with contempt]. Truly sir, I think 
you'll hardly win her. 

Proteus. Why! couldst thou perceive so much from 
her? 

Speed. Sir, I could perceive nothing at all from her; 
No, not so much as a ducat for delivering your letter: 
And being so hard to me that brought your mind; 
I fear she'll prove as hard to you in telling your mind.... 
Give her no token but stones, for she's as hard as steel. 

Proteus. What, said she — nothing? 

Speed [dryly]. No, not so much as 'Take this for thy 
pains'... To testify your bounty, I thank you, you have 
testerned me; in requital whereof, henceforth carry your 
letters yourself; and so, sir, I'll commend you to my 
master. [he swaggers of 

Proteus [angry]. Go, go, be gone, to save your ship 
from wrack. 
Which cannot perish having thee aboard, 
Being destined to a drier death on shore... 
I must go send some better messenger. 
I fear my Julia would not deign my lines. 
Receiving them from such a worthless post. [he goes 

[i. 2.] A door opens: JuLlA and LuCETTA come forth 

Julia. But say, Lucetta — now we are alone — 
Wouldst thou then counsel me to fall in love? 



8 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 1.2.3 

Lucetta. Ay madam, so you stumble not unheedfully. 

Julia [sits]. Of all the fair resort of gentlemen 
That every day with parle encounter me, 
In thy opinion which is worthiest love? 

Lucetta, Please you repeat their names, I'll show my 
mind 
According to my shallow simple skill. 

Julia. What think'st thou of the fair Sir Eglamour? 

Lucetta. As of a knight, well-spoken, neat, and fine; 
But, were I you, he never should be mine. 

Julia. What think'st thou of the rich Mercatio.^ 

Lucetta. Well of his wealth; but of himself, so, so. 

Julia [looks down]. What think'st thou of the gentle 
Proteus ^ 

Lucetta. Lord, lord. ..to see what folly reigns in us! 

Julia [sharply]. How now! what means this passion at 
his name? 

Lucetta [demure]. Pardon, dear madam — 'tis a pass- 
ing shame. 
That I (unworthy body as I am!) 
Should censure thus on lovely gentlemen. 

Julia. Why not on Proteus, as of all the rest? 

Lucetta. Then thus... of many good I think him best. 

Julia. Your reason? 

Lucetta. I have no other but a woman's reason: 
I think him so, because I think him so. 

Julia. And wouldst thou have me cast my love on 
him? 

Lucetta. Ay... if you thought your love not cast away. 

Julia. Why, he, of all the rest, hath never moved me. 

Lucetta. Yet he, of all the rest, I think best loves ye. 

Julia. His little speaking shows his love but small. 

Lucetta. Fire, that's closest kept, burns most of all. 

Julia. They do not love, that do not show their love. 

Lucetta. O they love least, that let men know their love. 



I. 2. 33 OF VERONA 9 

Julia. I would, I knew his mind. 

Lucetta. Peruse this paper, madam. [Julia takes it 

Julia. *To Julia '...Say, from whom? 

Lucetta. That the contents will show. 

Julia. Say, say... who gave it thee.^* 

Lucetta. Sir Valentine's page: and sent, 
I think, from Proteus; 
He would have given it you, but I, being in the way. 
Did in your name receive it: pardon the fault, I pray. 

Julia [feigns anger]. Now — by my modesty ! — a goodly 
broker... 
Dare you presume to harbour wanton lines .^^ 
To whisper, and conspire against my youth? 
Now trust me, 'tis an office of great worth. 
And you an officer fit for the ^\3.ct... [holding out the 

letter 
There.. .take the paper.. .see it be returned, 
Or else return no more into my sight. 

Lucetta. To plead for love deserves more fee than 
hate. 

Julia [stamps]. Will you be gone? 

Lucetta [going within]. That you may ruminate. 

Julia. And yet I would I had o'erlooked the letter; 
It were a shame to call her back again. 
And pray her to a fault for which I chid her.... 
What 'fool is she, that knows I am a maid. 
And would not force the letter to my view? 
Since maids, in modesty, say ^no' to that 
Which they would have the profFerer construe *ay\... 
Fie, fie! how wayward is this foolish love; 
That, like a testy babe, will scratch the nurse. 
And presently, all humbled, kiss the rod! 
How churlishly I chid Lucetta hence. 
When willingly I would have had her here! 
How angerly I taught my brow to frown. 
When inward joy enforced my heart to smile! 



lo THE TWO GENTLEMEN 1.2.65 

My penance is, to call Lucetta back 
And ask remission for my folly past.... 
What ho! Lucetta! 

Lucetta returning^ drops the letter 

Lucetta, What would your ladyship.? 

Julia. Is it near dinner-time.? 

Lucetta. I would it were — 

That you might kill your stomach on your meat, 
And not upon your maid. [she takes up the letter 

Julia. What is't that you 

Took up so gingerly.? 

Lucetta. Nothing. 

Julia. Why didst thou stoop then .? 

Lucetta. To take a paper up, that I let fall. 

Julia. And is that paper nothing.? 

Lucetta. Nothing concerning me. 

Julia. Then let it lie, for those that it concerns. 

Lucetta. Madam, it will not lie where it concerns. 
Unless it have a false interpreter. 

Julia. Some love of yours hath writ to you in rhyme. 

Lucetta. That I might sing it, madam, to a tune... 
Give me a note — your ladyship can set. 

Julia. As little by such toys as may be possible: 
Best sing it to the tune of * Light o' love.' 

Lucetta. It is too heavy for so light a tune. 

Julia. Heavy? belike it hath some burden then. 

Lucetta. Ay... and melodious were it, would you sing it. 

Julia. And why not you.? 

Lucetta. I cannot reach so high. 

Julia. Let's see your song... 

She snatches at the letter; Lucetta hastily 
hides it behind her back, and runs 

How now, minion! [giving chase 



I. 2. 88 OF VERONA ii 

Lucetta [over her shoulder]. Keep tune there still; so you 

will sing it out... 
[Julia seizes her] And yet, methinks, I do not like this 
tune. 

Julia [pinching her]. You do not.^ 

Lucetta. No, madam, 'tis too sharp. 

Julia [slapping her]. You — minion — are too saucy. 

Lucetta, Nay, now you are too flat; 

And mar the concord, with too harsh a descant: 
There wanteth but a 'mean' to fill your song. 

Julia. The mean is drowned with your unruly bass. 

Lucetta. Indeed, I 'bid the base' for Proteus. 

Julia. This babble shall not henceforth trouble me; 

[she tears the letter 
Here is a coil with protestation... 

Go, get you gone...[Z^r^^^^ stoops] and let the papers lie.. 
You would be fingring them, to anger me. 

Lucetta. She makes it strange, but she would be best 
pleased. 
To be so angred with another letter, [she goes within 

Julia. Nay, would I were so angred with the same... 

hateful hands, to tear such loving words; 
Injurious wasps, to feed on such sweet honey, 
And kill the bees that yield it with your stings; 
ril kiss each several paper, for amends... 

[picking up pieces 
Look, here is writ 'kind Julia'... unkind Julia, 
As in revenge of thy ingratitude, 

1 throw thy name against the bruising stones, 
Trampling contemptuously on thy disdain.... 
And here is writ 'love-wounded Proteus'.... 
Poor wounded name: my bosom, as a bed. 

Shall lodge thee till thy wound be throughly healed; 
And thus I search it with a sovereign kiss.... 
But twice, or thrice, was 'Proteus' written down... 

[seeking on her knees 



12 THE TWO GENTLEMEN i. 2. ii8 

Be calm, good wind, blow not a word away. 

Till I have found each letter in the letter, 

Except mine own name: that, some whirlwind bear 

Unto a ragged, fearful-hanging rock. 

And throw it thence into the raging sea.... 

Lo, here in one line is his name twice writ: 

*Poor forlorn Proteus, passionate Proteus: 

To the sweet Julia'.. .that I'll tear away... 

And yet I will not, sith so prettily 

He couples it to his complaining names; 

Thus will I fold them, one upon another; 

Now kiss, embrace, contend, do what you will. 

LuCETTA returns 

Lucetta, Madam... [Julia starts up 

Dinner is ready... and your father stays. 

Julia [coldly]. Well, let us go. 

Lucetta. What, shall these papers lie like tell-tales here? 

Julia, If you respect them; best to take them up. 

Lucetta, Nay, I was taken up for laying them down.... 
Yet here they shall not lie, for catching cold. 

\she gathers them up 

Julia. I see you have a month's mind to them. 

Lucetta, Ay, madam, you may say what sights you see; 
I see things too, although you judge I wink. 

Julia. Come, come, will't please you go? 

\they go in to dinner 



[i-3-] Verona: a room in Antonio's house 

Antonio enters with Panthino, his man 

Antonio. Tell me, Panthino, what sad talk was that, 
Wherewith my brother held you in the cloister? 
Panthino, 'Twas of his nephew Proteus^ your son. 



1.3-4 C)F VERONA 13 

Antonio. Why? what of him? 

Panthino, He wondred that your lordship 

Would suffer him to spend his youth at home, 
While other men, of slender reputation, 
Put forth their sons to seek preferment out: 
Some to the wars, to try their fortune there; 
Some, to discover islands far away; 
Some, to the studious universities... 
For any or for all these exercises 
He said that Proteus, your son, was meet; 
And did request me to importune you 
To let him spend his time no more at home; 
Which would be great impeachment to his age. 
In having known no travel in his youth. 

Antonio. Nor need'st thou much importune me to 
that 
Whereon this month I have been hammering.... 
I have considered well his loss of time, 
And how he cannot be a perfect man, 
Not being tried and tutored in the world: 
Experience is by industry achieved. 
And perfected by the swift course of time: 
Then, tell me, whither were I best to send him ? 

Pa?ithino. I think your lordship is not ignorant. 
How his companion, youthful Valentine, 
Attends the emperor in his royal court. 

Antonio. I know it well. 

Panthino. 'Twere good, I think, your lordship sent 
him thither. 
There shall he practise tilts and tournaments. 
Hear sweet discourse, converse with noblemen. 
And be in eye of every exercise 
Worthy his youth and nobleness of birth. 

Antonio. I like thy counsel. ..well hast thou advised... 
And that thou mayst perceive how well I like it. 



14 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 1.3.36 

The execution of it shall make known; 

Even with the speediest expedition 

I will despatch him to the emperor's court. 

Panthino, To-morrow, may it please you, Don 
Alphonso, 
With other gentlemen of good esteem, 
Are journeying to salute the emperor. 
And to command their service to his will. 

Antonio, Good company: with them shall Proteus go... 

Proteus entersy conning a letter 

And in good time... now will we break with him. 

(Proteus. Sweet love, sweet lines, sweet life — 
Here is her hand, the agent of her heart; 
Here is her oath for love, her honour's pawn: 
O, that our fathers would applaud our loves, 
To seal our happiness with their consents.... 

heavenly JuHa.... 

Antonio, How now! what letter are you reading there.? 

Proteus. May't please your lordship, 'tis a word or two 
Of commendations sent from Valentine; 
Delivered by a friend that came from him. 

Antonio. Lend me the letter: let me see what news. 

Proteus. There is no news, my lord, but that he writes 
How happily he lives, how well beloved. 
And daily graced by the emperor; 
Wishing me with him, partner of his fortune. 

Antonio. And how stand you affected to his wish.? 

Proteus. As one relying on your lordship's will. 
And not depending on his friendly wish. 

Antonio. My will is something sorted with his wish: 
Muse not that I thus suddenly proceed; 
For what I will, I will, and there an end... 

1 am resolved that thou shalt spend some time 
With Valentinus in the emperor's court: 



1.3.68 OF VERONA 15 

What maintenance he from his friends receives, 
Like exhibition thou shalt have from me. 
To-morrow be in readiness to go — 
Excuse it not... for I am peremptory. 
Proteus. My lord, I cannot be so soon provided, 
Please you deliberate a day or two. 
Antonio. Look, what thou want'st shall be sent after 
thee: 
No more of stay; to-morrow thou must go: 
Come on, Panthino; you shall be employed 
To hasten on his expedition. 

[Antonio goes out, followed hy Panthino 
Proteus. Thus have I shunned the fire, for fear of 
burning 
And drenched me in the sea, where I am drowned.... 
I feared to show my father Julia's letter. 
Lest he should take exceptions to my love, 
And with the vantage of mine own excuse 
Hath he excepted most against my love.... 
O, how this spring of love resembleth 

The uncertain glory of an April day. 
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun, 
And by and by a cloud takes all away. 

Panthino comes to the door 

Panthino. Sir Proteus, your father calls for you — 
He is in haste, therefore I pray you go. 

Proteus. Why, this it is: my heart accords thereto. 
And yet a thousand times it answers 'no.' [he goes out 

[2. I.] A street in Milan 

Valentine with Speed following: Valentine 
drops a glove 
Speed [runs up]. Sir, your glove. 
Valentine. Not mine: my gloves are on. 



i6 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.1.3 

Speed. Why then this may be yours, for this is but one. 

Valentine. Ha! let me see. ..ay, give it me, it's mine... 
Sweet ornament that decks a thing divine — 
Ah Silvia, Silvia. 

Speed [calls]. Madam Silvia! Madam Silvia! 

Valentine. How now, sirrah! 

Speed. She is not within hearing, sir. 

Valentine. Why, sir, who bade you call her? 

Speed. Your worship, sir, or else I mistook. 

Valentine. Well: you'll still be too forward. 

Speed. And yet I was last chidden for being too slow. 

Valentine. Go to, sir, tell me: do you know Madam 
Silvia.? 

Speed. She that your worship loves .^^ 

Valentine. Why, how know you that I am in love.f* 

Speed. Marry, by these special marks: first, you have 
learned — like Sir Proteus — to wreath your arms like a 
malcontent; to relish a love-song, like a robin-redbreast; 
to walk alone, like one that had the pestilence; to sigh, 
like a school-boy that had lost his A. B. C; to weep, like 
a young wench that had buried her grandam; to fast, like 
one that takes diet; to watch, like one that fears robbing; 
to speak puling, like a beggar at Hallowmas. ..You were 
wont, when you laughed, to crovv^ like a cock; when you 
walked, to walk like one of the lions; when you fasted, it 
was presently after dinner; when you looked sadly, it was 
for want of money: and now 3^ou are metamorphosed 
with a mistress, that, when I look on you, I can hardly 
think you my master. 

Valentine. Are all these things perceived in me.f* 

Speed. They are all perceived without ye. 

Valentine. Without me? they cannot. 

Speed. Without you.? nay, that's certain; for, without 
you were so simple, none else would: but you are so 
without these follies, that these follies are within you. 



2. I. 37 OF VERONA 17 

and shine through you Hke the water in an urinal: that 
not an eye that sees you, but is a physician to comment 
on your malady. 

Valentine. But tell me: dost thou know my Lady 
Silvia? 

Speed, She that you gaze on so, as she sits at supper? 

Valentine. Hast thou observed that? even she I mean. 

Speed. Why sir, I know her not. 

Valentine. Dost thou know her by my gazing on her, 
and yet know'st her not? 

Speed. Is she not hard-favoured, sir? 

Valentine. Not so fair, boy, as well-favoured. 

Speed. Sir, I know that well enough. 

Valentine. What dost thou know? 

Speed. That she is not so fair, as (of you) well- 
favoured. 

Valentine. I mean that her beauty is exquisite, but her 
favour infinite. 

Speed. That's because the one is painted, and the other 
out of all count. 

Valentine ^ How painted? and how out of count? 

Speed. Marry, sir, so painted, to make her fair, that no 
man counts of her beauty. 

Valentine. How esteem'st thou me ? I account of her 
beauty. 

Speed. You never saw her since she was deformed? 

Valentine. How long hath she been deformed ? 

Speed. Ever since you loved her. 

Valentine. I have loved her ever since I saw her, and 
still I see her beautiful. 

Speed. If you love her, you cannot see her. 

Valentine. Why? 

Speed. Because love is blind... O, that you had mine 
eyes, or your own eyes had the lights they were wont to 
have, when you chid at Sir Proteus for going ungartered. 

Valentine. What should I see then? 



i8 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2. i. 71 

Speed, Your own present folly, and her passing de- 
formity: for he, being in love, could not see to garter his 
hose; and you, being in love, cannot see to put on your 
hose. 

Valentine, Belike, boy, then you are in love — for last 
morning you could not see to wipe my shoes. 

Speed. True, sir: I was in love with my bed. I thank 
you, you swinged me for my love, which makes me the 
bolder to chide you for yours. 

Valentine, In conclusion, I stand affected to her. 

Speed, I would you were set, so your affection would 
cease. 

Valentine, Last night she enjoined me to write some 
lines to one she loves. 

Speed, And have you? 

Valentine. I have. 

Speed. Are they not lamely writ ? 

Valentine. No, boy, but as well as I can do them... 
Peace, here she comes. 

Silvia approaches with her maid 

{Speed. O excellent motion... O exceeding puppet... now 
will he interpret to her. 

Valentine \bows low]. Madam and mistress, a thousand 
good-morrows. 

(Speed. O, 'give-ye-good-e'en... here's a million of 
manners! 

Silvia [bows]. Sir Valentine and servant, to you two 
thousand. 

(Speed. He should give her interest: and she gives it 
him. 

Valentine. As you enjoined me; I have writ your letter 
Unto the secret nameless friend of yours... 

[he gives it her 
Which I was much unwilling to proceed in. 



2. 1. 102 OF VERONA 19 

But for my duty to your ladyship. 

Silvia [perusing it]. I thank you, gentle servant — 'tis 
very clerkly done. 

Valentine. Now trust me, madam, it came hardly ofF: 
For, being ignorant to whom it goes, 
I writ at random, very doubtfully. 

Silvia [coldly]. Perchance you think too much of so 
much pains .f^ 

Valentine, No, madam, so it stead you, I will write — 
Please you command — a thousand times as much... 
And yet — 

Silvia. A pretty period. ..well. ..I guess the sequel; 
'And yet I will not name it': 'and yet L care not'... 

[she offers him the letter 
And yet take this again: and yet I thank you: 
Meaning henceforth to trouble you no more. 

{Speed. And yet you will: and yet another 'yet.' 

Valentine [flushing]. What means your ladyship? 
Do you not like it? 

Silvia. Yes, yes: the lines are very quaintly writ, 
But — since unwillingly — take them again.... 

[offering the letter again 
Nay, take them. 

Valentine, Madam, they are for you. 

Silvia, Ay, ay: you writ them, sir, at my request. 
But I will none of them: they are for you: 
I would have had them writ more movingly... 

[he takes the letter 

Valentine, Please you, I'll write your ladyship another. 

Silvia. And when it's writ.. .for my sake read it over. 
And, if it please you, so.. .if not.. .why, so... 

Valentine. If it please me, madam, what then? 

Silvia. Why, if it please you, take it for your labour; 
And so good-morrow, servant, [she hows and passes on 



20 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2. i. 129 

{Speed. O jest unseen. ..inscrutable.. .invisible, 
As a nose on a man's face, or a weathercock on a 

steeple... 
My master sues to her: and she hath taught her suitor, 
He being her pupil, to become her tutor.... 
O excellent device! was there ever heard a better? 
That my master, being scribe, to himself should write 
the letter.? 

Valentine, How now, sir! what are you reasoning with 
yourself.?* 

Speed. Nay... I was rhyming... 'tis you that have the 
reason. 

Valentine. To do what? 

Speed. To be a spokesman from Madam Silvia. 

Valentine. To whom? 

Speed. To yourself... why, she wooes you by a figure. 

Valentine. What figure? 

Speed. By a letter, I should say. 

Valentine. Why, she hath not writ to me? 

Speed. What need she, when she hath made you write 
to yourself? Why, do you not perceive the jest? 

Valentine. No, believe me. 

Speed. No believing you indeed, sir: 
But did you perceive her earnest? 

Valentine. She gave me none, except an angry word. 

Speed. Why, she hath given you a letter. 

Valentine. That's the letter I writ to her friend. 

Speed. And that letter hath she delivered, and there 
an end. 

Valentine. I would it were no worse. 

Speed, ril warrant you, 'tis as well: 
For often you have writ to her: and she, in modesty. 
Or else for want of idle time, could not again reply — 
Or fearing else some messenger, that might her mind 
discover. 



2. I. i6o OF VERONA 21 

Herself hath taught her love himself to write unto 

her lover! 
All this I speak in print, for in print I found it.... 
Why muse you, sir? 'tis dinner-time. 

Valentine \sighs\. I have dined. 

Speed, Ay, but hearken, sir: though the chameleon Love 
can feed on the air, I am one that am nourished by my 
victuals; and would fain have meat: O, be not like your 
mistress — be moved, be moved. \they move on 

[2. 2.] Verona: the street near Julia 5 house 

Proteus and Julia on a seat beneath the trees 

Proteus, Have patience, gentle Julia... 

Julia, I must, where is no remedy. 

Proteus, When possibly I can, I will return. 

Julia, If you turn not... you will return the sooner: 
Keep this remembrance for thy Julia's sake. 

\she gives him a ring 

Proteus, Why then we'll make exchange; here, take 
you this. \he gives her another 

Julia, And seal the bargain with a holy kiss. 

Proteus. Here is my hand for my true constancy... 
And when that hour o'er-slips me in the day. 
Wherein I sigh not, Julia, for thy sake. 
The next ensuing hour some foul mischance 
Torment me for my love's forgetfulness... 
My father stays my coming... answer not... 
The tide is now; nay, not thy tide of tears — 
That tide will stay me longer than I should.... 
Julia, farewell... \they embrace; she goes within^ weeping 

What! gone without a word? 
Ay, so true love should do: it cannot speak — 
For truth hath better deeds than words to grace it. 



22 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.2.19 

Panthino appears in the distance 

Panthino [calling]. Sir Proteus! you are stayed for. 
Proteus. Go... I come, I come... 

Alas, this parting strikes poor lovers dumb, [he goes 

[2. 3.] Launce slowly approaches weepingy leading a 
dog, which he ties to a tree 

Launce. Nay, 'twill be this hour ere I have done weep- 
ing: all the kind of the Launces have this very fault... I 
have received my proportion, like the Prodigious son, 
and am going with Sir Proteus to the Imperial's court... 
I think Crab, my dog, be the sourest-natured dog that 
lives: my mother weeping; my father wailing; my sister 
crying; our maid howling; our cat wringing her hands; 
and all our house in a great perplexity — yet did not this 
cruel-hearted cur shed one tear: he is a stone, a very 
pebble-stone, and has no more pity in him than a dog: a 
Jew would have wept to have seen our parting: why, my 
grandam having no eyes, look you, wept herself blind at 
my parting: nay, I'll show you the manner of it....[^^^^j- 
off his shoes] This shoe is my father.. .no, this left shoe is 
my father; no, no, this left shoe is my mother.. .nay, that 
cannot be so neither... yes; it is so, it is so: it hath the 
worser sole... this shoe, with the hole in it, is my mother, 
and this my father... a vengeance on't! there 'tis... [places 
them on the seat]. Now, sir, this staff is my sister; for, 
look you, she is as white as a lily, and as small as a wand: 
this hat is Nan, our maid: I am the dog.. .no, the dog is 
himself, and I am the dog...O, the dog is me, and I am 
myself: ay; so, so... Now come I to my father; [kneels] 
'Father, your blessing': now should not the shoe speak a 
word for weeping: now should I kiss my father; [kisses 
one shoe]wd\y he weeps on...Nowcome I to mymother: O, 



2. 3. 27 OF VERONA 23 

that she could speak now, like a t vvood woman: well, I 
kiss her: [kisses the other shoe] why there 'tis; here's my 
mother's breath up and down... Now come I to my sister; 
mark the moan she makes. ..now the dog all this while 
sheds not a tear; nor speaks a word: but see how I lay 
the dust with my tears. 

Panthino returns, in haste 

Panthino. Launce, away, away.. .aboard. ..thy master is 
shipped, and thou art to post after with oars... What's 
the matter.? why weep'st thou, man? Away ass, you'll 
lose the tide, if you tarry any longer. 

Launce [sorrowfully]. It is no matter if the tied were 
lost, for it is the unkindest tied that ever any man tied. 

Panthino. What's the unkindest tide.? 

Launce. Why, he that's tied here. Crab, my dog. 

Panthino. Tut, man: I mean thou 'It lose the flood, and 
in losing the flood lose thy voyage, and in losing thy 
voyage lose thy master, and in losing thy master lose 
thy service, and in losing thy service — why dost thou 
stop my mouth.? 

Launce. For fear thou shouldst lose thy tongue. 

Panthino. Where should I lose my tongue.? 

Launce. In thy tale. 

Panthino, In my tail! 

Launce. Lose the tide, and the voyage, and the master, 
and the service — and the tied...[A(f looses Crab] Why, 
man, if the river were dry, I am able to fill it with my 
tears; if the wind were down, I could drive the boat with 
my sighs. 

Panthino. Come: come away, man — I was sent to call 
thee. 

Launce [threatening]. Sir.. .call me what thou dar'st! 

Panthino. Wilt thou go.? 

Launce. Well, I will go. [they hurry away 



24 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.4.1 

[2. 4.] Milan: a room in the Duke's palace 

Valentine and Silvia, seated together, talking in 
low tones; Speed behind Valentine; Sir Thurio, 
(foppishly attired) watching them at a distance 

{Silvia. Servant. 

{Valentine, Mistress! 

{Speed [in his ear]. Master, Sir Thurio frowns on you. 

{Valentine, Ay, boy, it's for love. 

{Speed. Not of you. 

{Valentine. Of my mistress then. 

{Speed. 'Twere good you knocked him. [he goes out 

Silvia [lightly, aloud] Servant, you are sad. 

Valentine. Indeed, madam, I seem so. 

Thurio. Seem you that you are not. f* 

Valentine. Haply I do. 

Thurio. So do counterfeits. 

Valentine. So do you. 

Thurio. What seem I that I am not.^* 

Valentine. Wise. 

Thurio. What instance of the contrary.? 

Valentine. Your folly. 

Thurio. And how quote you my folly.? 

Valentine. I quote it in your jerkin. 

Thurio. My jerkin is a doublet. 

Valentine. Well, then. Til double your folly. 

Thurio. How! 

Silvia. What, angry. Sir Thurio? do you change colour? 

Valentine. Give him leave, madam — he is a kind of 
chameleon. 

Thurio. That hath more mind to feed on your blood, 
than live in your air. 

Valentine. You have said, sir. 

Thurio. Ay, sir, and done too, for this time. 



2. 4. 30 OF VERONA 25 

Valentine. I know it well, sir, you always end ere you 
begin. 

Silvia, A fine volley of words, gentlemen, and quickly 
shot oflF. 

Valentine, 'Tis indeed, madam — ^we thank the giver. 

Silvia, Who is that, servant? 

Valentine. Yourself, sweet lady, for you gave the fire. 
Sir Thurio borrows his wit from your ladyship's looks, 
and spends what he borrows, kindly in your company. 

Thurio, Sir, if you spend word for word with me, I 
shall make your wit bankrupt. 

Valentine, I know it well, sir: you have an exchequer 
of words, and, I think, no other treasure to give your 
followers: for it appears by their bare liveries, that they 
live by your bare words. 

Silvia. No more, gentlemen, no more... Here comes my 
father. 

The Duke enters with a letter in his hand 

Duke [smiling]. Now, daughter Silvia, you are 

hard beset.... 
Sir Valentine, your father is in good health — 
What say you to a letter from your friends 
Of much good news.? 

Valentine. My lord, I will be thankful 

To any happy messenger from thence. 

Duke. Know you Don Antonio, your countryman .f^ 

Valentine, Ay, my good lord, I know the gentleman 
To be of worth, and worthy estimation. 
And not without desert so well reputed. 

Duke. Hath he not a son .? 

Valentine. Ay, my good lord — a son that well deserves 
The honour and regard of such a father. 

Duke. You know him well ^. 



26 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.4.60 

Valentine. I know him as myself: for from our infancy 
We have conversed, and spent our hours together, 
And though myself have been an idle truant. 
Omitting the sweet benefit of time 
To clothe mine age with angel-like perfection... 
Yet hath Sir Proteus, for that's his name. 
Made use and fair advantage of his days: 
His years but young, but his experience old: 
His head unmellowed, but his judgement ripe: 
And, in a word, (for far behind his worth 
Come all the praises that I now bestow) 
He is complete in feature and in mind, 
With all good grace, to grace a gentleman. 

Duke, Beshrew me, sir, but if he make this good. 
He is as worthy for an empress' love. 
As meet to be an emperor's counsellor... 
Well, sir: this gentleman is come to me 
With commendation from great potentates, 
And here he means to spend his time awhile. 
I think 'tis no unwelcome news to you. 

Valentine. Should I have wished a thing, it had been he. 

Duke. Welcome him then according to his worth: 
Silvia, I speak to you, and you, Sir Thurio — 
For Valentine, I need not cite him to it. 
I will send him hither to you presently. [he goes out 

Valentine. This is the gentleman I told your ladyship 
Had come along with me, but that his mistress 
Did hold his eyes locked in her crystal looks. 

Silvia. Belike that now she hath enfranchised them 
Upon some other pawn for fealty. 

Valentine. Nay, sure, I think she holds them prisoners 
still. 

Silvia. Nay, then he should be blind — and, being blind. 
How could he see his way to seek out you.f* 

Valentine. Why, lady, love hath twenty pair of eyes. 



2. 4. 94 OF VERONA 27 

Thurio. They say, that Love hath not an eye at all. 

Valentine, To see such lovers, Thurio, as yourself — 
Upon a homely object love can wink. 

Silvia, Have done, have done: here comes the gentle- 
man. 

Proteus enters; Thurio goes out, shrugging 
his shoulders 

Valentine, Welcome, dear Proteus... [^A^y embrace] Mis- 
tress, I beseech you, 
Confirm his welcome with some special favour. 

Silvia. His worth is warrant for his welcome hither. 
If this be he you oft have wished to hear from. 

Valentine. Mistress, it is...[^^ presents him] Sweet lady, 
entertain him 
To be my fellow-servant to your ladyship. 

Silvia [bowing]. Too low a mistress for so high a servant. 

Proteus, Not so, sweet lady, but too mean a servant 
To have a look of such a worthy mistress. 

Valentine, Leave oflF discourse of disability... 
Sweet lady, entertain him for your servant. 

Proteus, My duty will I boast of, nothing else. 

Silvia, And duty never yet did want his meed.... 

[he kisses her hand 
Servant, you are welcome to a worthless mistress. 

Proteus, ril die on him that says so, but yourself. 

Silvia, That you are welcome? 

Proteus, That you are worthless. 

Thurio returns 

Thurio, Madam, my lord your father would speak 
with you. 

Silvia. I wait upon his pleasure... Come, Sir Thurio, 
Go with me... Once more, new servant, welcome; 
ril leave you to confer of home-affairs. 
When you have done, we look to hear from you. 



28 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.4.119 

Proteus. We'll both attend upon your ladyship. 

[Silvia goes out, with Thurio 

Valentine. Now tell me: how do all from whence you 
came? 

Proteus. Your friends are well, and have them much 
commended. 

Valentine. And how do yours? 

Proteus. I left them all in health. 

Valentine. How does your lady? and how thrives your 
love ? 

Proteus. My tales of love were wont to weary you, 
I know you joy not in a love-discourse. 

Valentine. Ay, Proteus, but that life is altered now. 
I have done penance for contemning love. 
Whose high imperious thoughts have punished me 
With bitter fasts, with penitential groans. 
With nightly tears, and daily heart-sore sighs. 
For, in revenge of my contempt of love, 
Love hath chased sleep from my enthralled eyes, 
And made them watchers of mine own heart's sorrow.... 
O, gentle Proteus, Love's a mighty lord, 
And hath so humbled me, as I confess 
There is no woe to his correction. 
Nor to his service no such joy on earth: 
Now, no discourse, except it be of love: 
Now can I break my fast, dine, sup, and sleep. 
Upon the very naked name of love. 

Proteus. Enough; I read your fortune in your eye: 
Was this the idol that you worship so? 

Valentine. Even she; and is she not a heavenly saint? 

Proteus. No; but she is an earthly paragon. 

Valentine. Call her divine. 

Proteus. I will not flatter her. 

Valentine. O, flatter me; for love delights in praises. 

Proteus. When I was sick, you gave me bitter pills, 
And I must minister the like to you. 



2.4- 149 OF VERONA 29 

Valentine. Then speak the truth by her; if not divine, 
Yet let her be a principaHty, 
Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth. 

Proteus. Except my mistress. 

Valentine. Sweet: except not any, 

Except thou wilt except against my love. 

Proteus. Have I not reason to prefer mine own? 

Valentine. And I will help thee to prefer her too: 
She shall be dignified with this high honour — 
To bear my lady^s train, lest the base earth 
Should from her vesture chance to steal a kiss, 
And, of so great a favour growing proud. 
Disdain to root the summer-swelling flower, 
And make rough winter everlastingly. 

Proteus, Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this.? 

Valentine. Pardon me, Proteus, all I can is nothing 
To her, whose worth makes other worthies nothing; 
She is alone. 

Proteus. Then let her alone. 

Valentine, Not for the world: why man, she is mine 
own. 
And I as rich in having such a jewel 
As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl. 
The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold.... 
Forgive me that I do not dream on thee, 
Because thou seest me dote upon my love: 
My foolish rival, that her father likes — 
Only for his possessions are so huge — 
Is gone with her along, and I must after. 
For love, thou know'st, is full of jealousy. 

Proteus. But she loves you? 

Valentine. Ay, and we are betrothed: nay more, our 
marriage hour. 
With all the cunning manner of our flight, 
Determined of: how I must climb her window — 



30 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.4.180 

The ladder made of cords — and all the means 
Plotted and 'greed on for my happiness.... 
Good Proteus, go with me to my chamber, 
In these affairs to aid me with thy counsel. 

Proteus. Go on before: I shall enquire you forth: 
I must unto the road, to disembark 
Some necessaries that I needs must use, 
And then I'll presently attend you. 

Valentine [at the door]. Will you make haste.? 

Proteus. I will.... [Vale7itine departs 

Even as one heat another heat expels. 
Or as one nail by strength drives out another. 
So the remembrance of my former love 
Is by a newer object quite forgotten. 
fit is mine. ...or Valentine's praise, 
Her true perfection, or my false transgression, 
That makes me, reasonless, to reason thus.? 
She is fair; and so is Julia that I love — 
That I did love, for now my love is thawed, 
Which, like a waxen image 'gainst a fire. 
Bears no impression of the thing it was.... 
Methinks my zeal to Valentine is cold. 
And that I love him not as I was wont: 
O, but I love his lady too-too much. 
And that's the reason I love him so little.... 
How shall I dote on her with more advice, 
That thus without advice begin to love her.? 
'Tis but her picture I have yet beheld. 
And that hath dazzled my reason's light: 
But when I look on her perfections, 
There is no reason but I shall be blind.... 
If I can check my erring love, I will — 
If not, to compass her I'll use my skill. 

[he goes out, musing 



2.5- I OF VERONA 31 



[2. 5.] Milan: a street near the quay; 

an alehouse hard by 

Speed meeting Launce and his dog 

Speed, Launce! by mine honesty, welcome to fPadua. 

Launce. Forswear not thyself, sweet youth, for I am not 
welcome....! reckon this always — that a man is never un- 
done till he be hanged, nor never welcome to a place till 
some certain shot be paid and the hostess say ^welcome.' 

Speed. Come on, you madcap: I'll to the alehouse with 
you presently; where, for one shot of five pence, thou 
shalt have five thousand welcomes... But, sirrah, how did 
thy master part with Madam Julia? 

Launce. Marry, after they closed in earnest, they 
parted very fairly in jest. 

Speed. But shall she marry him? 

Launce. No. 

Speed. How then? Shall he marry her? 

Launce. No, neither. 

Speed. What, are they broken? 

Launce. No; they are both as whole as a fish. 

Speed. Why then, how stands the matter with them ? 

Launce. Marry, thus — when it stands well with him, 
it stands well with her. 

Speed. What an ass art thou! I understand thee not. 

Launce. What a block art thou, that thou canst not! 
My staff understands me! 

Speed. What thou sayst? 

Launce. Ay, and what I do too: look thee, FU but 
lean, and my staff understands me. 

Speed. It stands under thee, indeed. 

Launce. Why, stand under.. .and understand is all one. 

Speed, But tell me true, will't be a match? 



32 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.5.30 

Launce. Ask my dog — if he say 'ay,' it will: if he say 
'no,' it will: if he shake his tail and say nothing, it will. 

Speed. The conclusion is then, that it will. 

Launce. Thou shalt never get such a secret from me, 
but by a parable. 

Speed. 'Tis well that I get it so... But Launce, how 
sayst thou, that my master is become a notable lover? 

Launce. I never knew him otherwise. 

Speed. Than how? 

Launce. A notable lubber: as thou reportest him to be. 

Speed. Why, thou whoreson ass, thou mistak'st me. 

Launce. Why, fool, I meant not thee, I meant thy 
master. 

Speed. I tell thee, my master is become a hot lover. 

Launce. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn 
himself in love.... If thou wilt, go with me to the ale- 
house; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth 
the name of a Christian. 

Speed. Why? 

Launce. Because thou hast not so much charity in 
thee, as to 'go to the ale' with a Christian... Wilt thou go? 

Speed. At thy service. \they enter the alehouse 

[2. 6.] Proteus slowly passes, on his way 

to the quay 

Proteus. To leave my Julia. ..shall I be forsworn? 
To love fair Silvia. ..shall I be forsworn? 
To wrong my friend, I shall be much forsworn.... 
And even that power, which gave me first my oath. 
Provokes me to this threefold perjury.... 
Love bade me swear, and love bids me forswear; 
O sweet-suggesting love, if thou has sinned, 
Teach me — thy tempted subject — to execute it.... 
At first I did adore a twinkling star, 
But now I worship a celestial sun: 



2.6. II OF VERONA 33 

Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken, 

And he wants wit that wants resolved will 

To learn his wit t 'exchange the bad for better; 

Fie, fie, unreverend tongue, to call her bad. 

Whose sovereignty so oft thou hast preferred 

With twenty thousand soul-confirming oaths.... 

I cannot leave to love; and yet I do: 

Bur there I leave to love where I should love.... 

Julia I lose, and Valentine I lose — 

If I keep them, I needs must lose myself: 

If I lose them, thus find I by their loss — 

For Valentine, myself: for Julia, Silvia 

I to myself am dearer than a friend. 

For love is still more precious in itself: 

And Silvia — witness Heaven, that made her fair! — 

Shews Julia but a swarthy Ethiop.... 

I will forget that Julia is alive, 

Remembring that my love to her is dead.... 

And Valentine I'll hold an enemy, 

Aiming at Silvia as a sweeter friend.... 

I cannot now prove constant to myself. 

Without some treachery used to Valentine.... 

This night he meaneth with a corded ladder 

To climb celestial Silvia's chamber-window, 

Myself in counsel his competitor.... 

Now presently I'll give her father notice 

Of their disguising and pretended flight: 

Who, all enraged, will banish Valentine: 

For Thurio he intends shall wed his daughter. 

But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross 

By some sly trick blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.... 

Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift. 

As thou hast lent me wit to plot this drift! 

[he continues his way 



34 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.7.1 

[2. 7.] Verona: a room in Julia s house 

Julia, studying a map; Lucetta, sezving 

Julia [looks up]. Counsel, Lucetta, gentle girl assist me. 
And, e'en in kind love, I do conjure thee, 
Who art the table wherein all my thoughts 
Are visibly charactered and engraved, 
To lesson me, and tell me some good mean, 
How, with my honour, I may undertake 
A journey to my loving Proteus. 

Lucetta, Alas, the way is wearisome and long. 

Julia. A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary 
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps — 
Much less shall she that hath love's wings to fly. 
And when the flight is made to one so dear, 
Of such divine perfection, as Sir Proteus. 

Lucetta. Better forbear till Proteus make return. 

Julia. O, know'st thou not his looks are my soul's 

food? 
Pity the dearth that I have pined in. 
By longing for that food so long a time.... 
Didst thou but know the inly touch of love. 
Thou wouldst as soon go kindle fire with snow. 
As seek to quench the fire of love with words. 

Lucetta. I do not seek to quench your love's hot fire. 
But qualify the fire's extreme rage. 
Lest it should burn above the bounds of reason. 

Julia. The more thou damm'st it up, the more it burns: 
The current that with gentle murmur glides. 
Thou know'st, being stopped, impatiently doth rage: 
But when his fair course is not hindered 
He makes sweet music with th'enamelled stones. 
Giving a gentle kiss to every sedge 
He overtaketh in his pilgrimage; 
And so by many winding nooks he strays. 



2. 7. 32 OF VERONA 35 

fWith willing sport, to the wide ocean.... 

Then let me go, and hinder not my course: 

rU be as patient as a gentle stream. 

And make a pastime of each weary step, 

Till the last step have brought me to my love — 

And there TU rest, as after much turmoil 

A blessed soul doth in Elysium. 

Lucetta, But in what habit will you go along? 

Julia, Not like a woman, for I would prevent 
The loose encounters of lascivious men: 
Gentle Lucetta, fit me with such weeds 
As may beseem some well-reputed page. 

Lucetta, Why then your ladyship must cut your 
hair. 

Julia, No, girl, Til knit it up in silken strings, 
With twenty odd-conceited true-love knots: 
To be fantastic may become a youth 
Of greater time than I shall show to be. 

Lucetta, What fashion — madam — shall I make 
your breeches? 

Julia, That fits as well as *Tell me, good my lord, 
What compass will you wear your farthingale?' 
Why, e'en what fashion thou best likes, Lucetta. 

Lucetta, You must needs have them with a cod- 
piece, madam. 

Julia, Out, out, Lucetta! that will be ill-favoured. 

Lucetta, A round hose, madam, now's not worth a pin. 
Unless you have a cod-piece to stick pins on. 

Julia, Lucetta, as thou lov'st me, let me have 
What thou think'st meet, and is most mannerly.... 
But tell me, wench, how will the world repute me 
For undertaking so unstaid a journey? 
I fear me, it will make me scandalized. 

Lucetta, If you think so, then stay at home and go 
not. 

Julia, Nay, that I will not. 



36 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 2.7.64 

Lucetta, Then never dream on infamy, but go: 
If Proteus like your journey when you come, 
No matter who's displeased when you are gone: 
I fear me, he will scarce be pleased with all. 

Julia, That is the least, Lucetta, of my fear: 
A thousand oaths, an ocean of his tears, 
And instances of infinite of love. 
Warrant me welcome to my Proteus. 

Lucetta, All these are servants to deceitful men. 

Julia. Base men, that use them to so base eflFect; 
But truer stars did govern Proteus' birth — 
His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles, 
His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate. 
His tears pure messengers sent from his heart. 
His heart as far from fraud as heaven from earth. 

Lucetta, Pray heaven he prove so, when you come to 
him. 

Julia, Now, as thou lov'st me, do him not that wrong 
To bear a hard opinion of his truth: 
Only deserve my love by loving him. 
And presently. go with me to my chamber, 
To take a note of what I stand in need of 
To furnish me upon my longing journey: 
All that is mine I leave at thy dispose, 
My goods, my lands, my reputation. 
Only, in lieu thereof, dispatch me hence: 
Come; answer not: but to it presently — 
I am impatient of my tarriance. [they go out 



[3 . I .] Milan:, hefore the Duke's palace 

The Duke, Teurio and Proteus come forth 

Duke, Sir Thurio, give us leave, I pray, awhile — 
We have some secrets to confer about.... • 

[Thurio hows and departs 



3. I. 3 OF VERONA 37 

Now, tell me, Proteus, what's your will with me? 

Proteus. My gracious lord, that which I would discover 
The law of friendship bids me to conceal. 
But when I call to mind your gracious favours 
Done to me — undeserving as I am — 
My duty pricks me on to utter that 
Which else no worldly good should draw from me: 
Know, worthy prince, Sir Valentine, my friend. 
This night intends to steal away your daughter: 
Myself am one made privy to the plot.... 
I know you have determined to bestow her 
On Thurio, whom your gentle daughter hates, 
And should she thus be stol'n away from you, 
It would be much vexation to your age.... 
Thus — for my duty's sake — I rather chose 
To cross my friend in his intended drift, 
Than, by concealing it, heap on your head 
A pack of sorrows which would press you down. 
Being unprevented, to your timeless grave. 

Duke, Proteus, I thank thee for thine honest care. 
Which to requite, command me while I live.... 
This love of theirs myself have often seen, 
Haply when they have judged me fast asleep. 
And oftentimes have purposed to forbid 
Sir Valentine her company and my court: 
But, fearing lest my jealous aim might err. 
And so, unworthily, disgrace the man — 
A rashness that I ever yet have shunned — 
I gave him gentle looks, thereby to find 
That which thyself hast now disclosed to me.... 
And, that thou mayst perceive my fear of this. 
Knowing that tender youth is soon suggested, 
I nightly lodge her in an upper tower. 
The key whereof myself have ever kept: 



38 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 3.1.37 

And thence she cannot be conveyed away. 

Proteus, Know, noble lord, they have devised a 
mean 
How he her chamber-window will ascend, 
And with a corded ladder fetch her down: 
For which the youthful lover now is gone. 
And this way comes he with it presently; 
Where, if it please you, you may intercept him.... 
But, good my lord, do it so cunningly. 
That my discovery be not aimed at: 
For, love of you, not hate unto my friend. 
Hath made me publisher of this pretence. 

Duke, Upon mine honour, he shall never know 
That I had any light from thee of this. 

Proteus, Adieu, my lord. Sir Valentine is coming. 

[he retires into the palace 
Valentine passes hurriedlyy cloaked and hooted 

Duke, Sir Valentine, whither away so fast.^ 

Valentine, Please it your grace, there is a messenger 
That stays to bear my letters to my friends. 
And I am going to deliver them. 

Duke, Be they of much import .f* 

Valentine, The tenour of them doth but signify 
My health and happy being at your court. 

Duke, Nay then, no matter: stay with me awhile — 
I am to break with thee of some affairs 
That touch me near: wherein thou must be secret.... 

[he takes him hy the arm 
'Tis not unknown to thee, that I have sought 
To match my friend Sir Thurio to my daughter. 

Valentine. I know it well, my lord — and, sure, the 
match 
Were rich and honourable: besides, the gentleman 
Is full of virtue, bount}'', worth and qualities 
Beseeming such a wife as your fair daughter: 
Cannot your grace win her to fancy him ? 



3. I. 68 OF VERONA 39 

Duke, No, trust me, she is peevish, sullen, froward, 
Proud, disobedient, stubborn, lacking duty. 
Neither regarding that she is my child. 
Nor fearing me as if I were her father: 
And, may I say to thee, this pride of hers — 
Upon advice — hath drawn my love from her. 
And where I thought the remnant of mine age 
Should have been cherished by her child-like duty, 
I now am full resolved to take a wife. 
And turn her out to who will take her in: 
Then let her beauty be her wedding-dower: 
For me, and my possessions, she esteems not. 

Valentine, What would your grace have me to do in 
this? 

Duke. There is a lady in fVerona here 
Whom I affect: but she is nice and coy. 
And nought esteems my aged eloquence.... 
Now, therefore, would I have thee to my tutor — 
For long agone I have forgot to court. 
Besides, the fashion of the time is changed — 
How and which way I may bestow myself 
To be regarded in her sun-bright eye. 

Valentine, Win her with gifts, if she respect not 
words. 
Dumb jewels often, in their silent kind. 
More than quick words do move a woman's mind. 

Duke. But she did scorn a present that I sent her. 

Valentine, A woman sometime scorns what best con- 
tents her.... 
Send her another: never give her o'er — 
For scorn at first makes after-love the more: 
If she do frown, 'tis not in hate of you, 
But rather to beget more love in you: 
If she do chide, 'tis not to have you gone, 
For why, the fools are mad, if left alone: 
Take no repulse, whatever she doth say — 



40 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 3. i. loi 

For 'get you gone' she doth not mean *away': 
Flatter and praise, commend, extol their graces: 
Though ne'er so black, say they have angels' faces. 
That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man, 
If with his tongue he cannot win a woman. 

Duke. But she I mean is promised by her friends 
Unto a youthful gentleman of worth, 
And kept severely from resort of men, 
That no man hath access by day to her. 

Valentine, Why, then, I would resort to her by night. 

Duke. Ay, but the doors be locked and keys kept safe. 
That no man hath recourse to her by night. 

Valentine. What lets but one may enter at her window.'^ 

Duke. Her chamber is aloft, far from the ground, 
And built so shelving, that one cannot climb it 
Without apparent hazard of his life. 

Valentine. Why, then, a ladder quaintly made of cords, 
To cast up, with a pair of anchoring hooks, 
Would serve to scale another Hero's tower, 
So bold Leander would adventure it. 

Duke. Now, as thou art a gentleman of blood. 
Advise me where I may have such a ladder. 

Valentine. When would you use it? pray sir, tell me 
that. 

Duke. This very night; for love is like a child, 
That longs for every thing that he can come by. 

Valentine, By seven o'clock I'll get you such a ladder. 

Duke. But, hark thee: I will go to her alone — 
How shall I best convey the ladder thither.? 

Valentine. It will be light, my lord, that you may bear 
it 
Under a cloak that is of any length. 

Duke. A cloak as long as thine will serve the turn? 

Valentine. Ay, my good lord. 

Duke, Then let me see thy cloak — 

I'll get me one of such another length. 



3. I. 134 OF VERONA 41 

Valentine. Why, any cloak will serve the turn, my lord. 
Duke. How shall I fashion me to wear a cloak? 
I pray thee, let me feel thy cloak upon me.... 

He snatches Valentine's cloak; the ladder 
and a letter fall to the ground 

What letter is this same? What's here? — 'To Silvia'? 

And here an engine fit for my proceeding! 

ril be so bold to break the seal for once. [he reads 

*My thoughts do harbour with my Silvia nightly, 
'And slaves they are to me, that send them flying. 
'O, could their master come, and go as lightly, 
'Himself would lodge, where — senseless — they are 

lying. 
'My herald thoughts in thy pure bosom rest them, 
'While I, their king, that thither them importune, 
'Do curse the grace that with such grace hath 

blessed them, 
' Because myself do want my servants' fortune. 

'I curse myself, for they are sent by me, 

'That they should harbour where their lord should be.* 

What's here? 

'Silvia, this night I will enfranchise thee'.... 
'Tis so: and here's the ladder for the purpose.... 

\he turns on Valentine 
Why, Phaethon — for thou art Merops' son! — 
Wilt thou aspire to guide the heavenly car, 
And with thy daring folly burn the world? 
Wilt thou reach stars, because they shine on thee? 
Go base intruder, over-weening slave. 
Bestow thy fawning smiles on equal mates. 
And think my patience, more than thy desert. 
Is privilege for thy departure hence.... 
Thank me for this more than for all the favours, 
Which — all too much! — I have bestowed on thee.... 



42 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 3. i. 163 

But if thou linger in my territories 

Longer than swiftest expedition 

Will give thee time to leave our royal court, 

By heaven, my wrath shall far exceed the love 

I ever bore my daughter, or thyself.... 

[Valentine throws himself at his feet 
Be gone, I will not hear thy vain excuse, 
But, as thou lov'st thy life, make speed from hence. 

[he turns upon his heel and goes into the palace 
Valentine [prostrate]. And why not death, rather than 
living torment? 
To die, is to be banished from myself, 
And Silvia is myself: banished from her, 
fls self from self.... Ah! deadly banishment: 
What light is light, if Silvia be not seen .? 
What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by? 
Unless it be to think that she is by. 
And feed upon the shadow of perfection.... 
Except I be by Silvia in the night. 
There is no music in the nightingale.... 
Unless I look on Silvia in the day. 
There is no day for me to look upon.... 
She is my essence — and I leave to be. 
If I be not by her fair influence 
Fostered, illumined, cherished, kept alive.... 
I fly not death, to fly his deadly doom — 
Tarry I here, I but attend on death — 
But, fly I hence, I fly away from life. 

[he buries his face on the ground 

Proteus and Launce come from the palace 

Proteus. Run, boy, run, run, and seek him out. 
Launce [courses up and down, and then halloos]. So-ho! 

so-ho! 
Proteus. What seest thou? 



3. I. 191 OF VERONA 43 

Launce, Him we go to find. [he noses Valentine 

There's not a hair on's head but 'tis a valentine. 

Proteus [bends over him], Valentine! 

Valentine. No. 

ProUus. Who then? his spirit? 

Valentine. Neither. 

Proteus, What then? 

Valentine. Nothing. 

Launce. Can nothing speak? Master, shall I strike? 

Proteus. Who wouldst thou strike? 

Launce. Nothing. 

Proteus. Villain, forbear. 

Launce. Why, sir, I'll strike nothing: I pray you — 

[he lifts his stajf 

Proteus. Sirrah, I say, forbear... Friend Valentine, 
a word. 

Valentine. My ears are stopped, and cannot hear 
good news. 
So much of bad already hath possessed them. 

Proteus. Then in dumb silence will I bury mine. 
For they are harsh, untuneable and bad. 

Valentine [looks up]. Is Silvia dead? 

Proteus. No, Valentine. 

Valentine. No Valentine, indeed, for sacred Silvia. 
Hath she forsworn me? 

Proteus. No, Valentine. 

Valentine. No valentine, if Silvia have forsworn me — 
What is your news? 

Launce. Sir, there is a proclamation that you are 
vanished. 

Proteus. That thou art banished... O, that's the news — 
From hence, from Silvia, and from me thy friend. 

Valentine. O, I have fed upon this woe already, 
And now excess of it will make me surfeit.... 
Doth Silvia know that I am banished? 



44 THE TWO GENILEMEN 3.1.222 

Proteus. Ay, ay: ana she hath offered to the doom — 
Which, unreversed, stands in effectual force — 
A sea of melting pearl, which some call tears; 
Those at her father's churlish feet she tendered, 
With them, upon her knees, her humble self, 
Wringing her hands, whose whiteness so became them, 
As if but now they waxed pale for woe: 
But neither bended knees, pure hands held up, 
Sad sighs, deep groans, nor silver-shedding tears. 
Could penetrate her uncompassionate sire; 
But Valentine, if he be ta'en, must die.... 
Besides, her intercession chafed him so. 
When she for thy repeal was suppliant. 
That to close prison he commanded her. 
With many bitter threats of biding there. 

Valentine. No more... unless the next word that 
thou speak'st 
Have some malignant power upon my life: 
If so. ..I pray thee breathe it in mine ear. 
As ending anthem of my endless dolour. 

Proteus, Cease to lament for that thou canst not 
help. 
And study help for that which thou lament'st. 
Time is the nurse and breeder of all good; 
Here if thou stay, thou canst not see thy love: 
Besides, thy staying will abridge thy life: 
Hope is a lover's staff — walk hence with that, 
And manage it against despairing thoughts: 
Thy letters may be here, though thou art hence. 
Which, being writ to me, shall be delivered 
Even in the milk-white bosom of thy love.... 

[Valentine rises 
The time now serves not to expostulate — 
Com.e, ril convey thee through the city-gate.... 

[Proteus leads him avjay 



3. 1.253 OF VERONA 45 

And, ere I part with thee, confer at large 
Of all that may concern thy love-affairs: 
As thou lov'st Silvia, though not for thyself, 
Regard thy danger, and along with me. 

Valentine. I pray thee, Launce, an if thou seest my boy. 
Bid him make haste and meet me at the North-gate. 

Proteus, Go, sirrah, find him out.. ..Come, Valentine. 

Valentine. O my dear Silvia; hapless Valentine. 

[they go 

Launce, I am but a fool, look you, and yet I have the 
wit to think my master is a kind of a knave: but that's 
all one, if he be but one knave... He lives not now that 
knows me to be in love — yet I am in love — but a team of 
horse shall not pluck that from me: nor who 'tis I love: 
and yet 'tis a woman; but what woman, I will not tell 
myself: and yet 'tis a milkmaid: yet 'tis not a maid: for 
she hath had gossips: yet 'tis a maid, for she is her 
master's maid, and serves for V73.gts... .[searches his 
pockets] She hath more qualities than a water-spaniel — 
which is much in a bare Christian.,.. [^wZ/j out a paper] 
Here is the catalogue of her condition. ' Inprimis, She 
can fetch and carry'... Why, a horse can do no more; 
na3'', a horse cannot fetch, but only carry; therefore is 
she better than a jade. 'Item, She can milk' — look you, 
a sweet virtue in a maid with clean hands. 

Speed comes up 

Speed. How now, Signior Launce! what news with your 
mastership .? 

Launce. W^ith my master's ship? why, it is at sea. 

Speed. Well, your old vice still: mistake the word... 
What news, then, in your paper? 

Launce. The black'st news that ever thou heard'st. 

Speed. Why, man, how black? 

Launce. Why, as black as ink. 



46 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 3.1.285 

Speed. Let me read them. 

Launce. Fie on thee jolthead, thou canst not read. 

Speed. Thou Hest...I can. 

Launce. I will try thee: tell me this: who begot thee.? 

Speed. Marry, the son of my grandfather. 

Launce. O illiterate loiterer; it was the son of thy 
grandmother... This proves that thou canst not read. 

Speed. Come, fool, come: try me in thy paper. 

Launce. There... [^zVzw^ the paper] and Saint Nicholas 
be thy speed! 

Speed. ^Inprimisy She can milk/ 

Launce. Ay, that she can. 

Speed. *Item, She brews good ale.' 

Launce. And thereof comes the proverb: 'Blessing 
of your heart, you brew good ale.' 

Speed. 'Item, She can sew.' 

Launce, That's as much as to say, *Can she so?' 

Speed. 'Itenty She can knit.' 

Launce. What need a man care for a stock with a 
wench, when she can knit him a stock. 

Speed. 'Item, She can wash and scour.' 

Launce. A special virtue: for then she need not be 
washed and scoured. 

Speed. 'Item, She can spin.' 

Launce, Then may I set the world on wheels, when 
she can spin for her living. 

Speed. 'Item, She hath many nameless virtues.' 

Launce. That's as much as to say, bastard virtues: 
that, indeed, know not their fathers; and therefore have 
no names. 

Speed. 'Here follow her vices.' 

Launce. Close at the heels of her virtues. 

Speed. 'Item, She is not to be— fasting, in respect of 
her breath.' 



3. I. 319 OF VERONA 47 

Launce. Well... that fault may be mended with a break- 
fast.. .Read on. 

Speed, 'Item, She hath a sweet mouth.' 

Launce, That makes amends for her sour breath. 

Speed. Item/She doth talk in her sleep.' 

Launce, It's no matter for that; so she fsHp not in her 
talk. 

Speed, 'Item, She is slow in words.' 

Launce, O villain, that set this down among her vices! 
To be slow in words is a woman's only virtue: I pray 
thee, out with't, and place it for her chief virtue. 

Speed, ' Iteniy She is proud.' 

Launce, Out with that too... It was Eve's legacy, and 
cannot be ta'en from her. 

Speed, 'Item, She hath no teeth.' 

Launce, I care not for that neither... because I love 
crusts. 

Speed, 'Item, She is curst.' 

Launce. Well... the best is, she hath no teeth to bite. 

Speed. 'Item, She will often praise her liquor.' 

Launce, If her liquor be good, she shall: if she will 
net, I will; for good things should be praised. 

Speed, 'Item, She is too liberal.' 

Launce, Of her tongue she cannot; for that's writ down 
she is slow of: of her purse she shall not, for that I'll 
keep shut: now, of another thing she may, and that I 
cannot help..^.Well, proceed. 

Speed, 'Item, She hath more hair than wit, and more 
faults than hairs, and more wealth than faults.' 

Launce. Stop there. ..I'll have her.. .she was mine, and 
not mine, twice or thrice in that last article: rehearse 
that once more. 

Speed. 'Item, She hath more hair than wit' — 

Launce, More hair than wit: it may be I'll prove it... 
The cover of the salt hides the salt, and therefore it is 



48 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 3.1.353 

more than the salt; the hair that covers the wit is more 
than the wit; for the greater hides the less... What's next? 

Speed. — *And more faults than hairs' — 

Launce. That's monstrous: O, that that were out! 

Speed. — 'And more wealth than faults.' 

Launce. Why, that word makes the faults gracious... 
Well, I'll have her: and if it be a match, as nothing is 
impossible — 

Speed. What then? 

Launce. Why, then will I tell thee — that thy master 
stays for thee at the North-gate. 

Speed. For me! 

Launce. For thee? ay, who art thou? he hath stayed 
for a better man than thee. 

Speed. And must I go to him? 

Launce. Thou must run to him; for thou hast stayed 
so long, that going will scarce serve the turn. 

Speed. Why didst not tell me sooner? 'pox of your 
love-letters! [he runs of 

Launce. Now will he be swinged for reading my letter... 
An unmannerly slave, that will thrust himself into se- 
crets... 
I'll after, to rejoice in the boy's correction, [he follows 

[3. 2.] Milan: a room in the Duke's palace 



The Duke: Thurio 

Duke. Sir Thurio, fear not but that she will love you. 
Now Valentine is banished from her sight. 

Thurio. Since his exile she hath despised me most. 
Forsworn my company and railed at me, 
That I am desperate of obtaining her. 

Duke. This weak impress of love is as a figure 
Trenched in ice, which with an hour's heat 
Dissolves to water and doth lose his form.... 



3.2.9 OF VERONA 49 

A little time will melt her frozen thoughts, 
And worthless Valentine shall be forgot.... 



Proteus enters 

How now, Sir Proteus! Is your countryman, 
According to our proclamation, gone? 

Proteus, Gone, my good lord. 

Duke. My daughter takes his going grievously! 

Proteus, A little time, my lord, will kill that grief. 

Duke. So I believe: but Thurio thinks not so... 
Proteus, the good conceit I hold of thee — 
For thou hast shown some sign of good desert — 
Makes me the better to confer with thee. 

Proteus [hows]. Longer than I prove loyal to your 
grace 
Let me not live to look upon your grace. 

Duke. Thou know'st how willingly I would effect 
The match between Sir Thurio and my daughter.? 

Proteus. I do, my lord. 

Duke. And also, I think, thou art not ignorant 
How she opposes her against my will? 

Proteus. She did, my lord, when Valentine 
was here. 

Duke. Ay, and perversely she persevers so... 
W^hat might we do to make the girl forget 
The love of Valentine, and love Sir Thurio? 

Proteus. The best way is to slander Valentine 
With falsehood, cowardice, and poor descent: 
Three things that women highly hold in hate. 

Duke. Ay, but she'll think that it is spoke in hate. 

Proteus. Ay, if his enemy deliver it.... 
Therefore it must with circumstance be spoken 
By one whom she esteemeth as his friend. 

Duke. Then you must undertake to slander him. 



50 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 3.2.39 

Proteus, And that, my lord, I shall be loath to do... 
'Tis an ill office for a gentleman, 
Especially against his very friend. 

Duke. Where your good word cannot advantage him, 
Your slander never can endamage him; 
Therefore the office is indifferent, 
Being entreated to it by your friend. 

Proteus. You have prevailed, my lord. If I can do it. 
By aught that I can speak in his dispraise. 
She shall not long continue love to him: 
fBut say this weed her love from Valentine, 
It follows not that she will love Sir Thurio. 

Thurio. Therefore, as you unwind her love from him — 
Lest it should ravel and be good to none — 
You must provide to bottom it on me: 
Which must be done, by praising me as much 
As you in worth dispraise Sir Valentine. 

Duke. And, Proteus, we dare trust you in this kind, 
Because we know, on Valentine's report. 
You are already Love's firm votary. 
And cannot soon revolt and change your mind.... 
Upon this warrant, shall you have access 
Where you with Silvia may confer at large.... 
For she is lumpish, hea\^, melancholy, 
And — for your friend's sake — ^will be glad of you; 
Where you may temper her, by your persuasion, 
To hate young Valentine and love my friend. 

Proteus, As much as I can do, I will effect... 
But you. Sir Thurio, are not sharp enough: 
You must lay lime to tangle her desires 
By wailful sonnets, whose composed rhymes 
Should be full-fraught with serviceable vows. 

Duke. Ay, 
Much is the force of heaven-bred poesy. 



3.2.73 OF VERONA 51 

Proteus, Say that upon the altar of her beauty 
You sacrifice your tears, your sighs, your heart: 
Write till your ink be dry: and with your tears 
Moist it again: and frame some feeling line 
That may discover such integrity... 
For Orpheus' lute was strung with poets' sinews — 
Whose golden touch could soften steel and stones; 
Make tigers tame and huge leviathans 
Forsake unsounded deeps to dance on sands.... 
After your dire-lamenting elegies, 
Visit by night your lady's chamber-window 
With some sweet consort; to their instruments 
Tune a deploring dump: the night's dead silence 
Will well become such sweet complaining grievance... 
This, or else nothing, will inherit her. 

Duke. This discipline shows thou hast been in love. 

Thurio, And thy advice, this night, I'll put in practice: 
Therefore, sweet Proteus, my direction-giver, 
Let us into the city presently 
To sort some gentlemen well skilled in music... 
I have a sonnet that will serve the turn 
To give the onset to thy good advice. 

Duke, About it, gentlemen. [he turns to go 

Proteus [following]. We'll wait upon your grace till 
after supper. 
And afterward determine our proceedings. 

Duke, Even now about it. I will pardon you. 

[The Duke goes in to supper; Proteus and 
Thurio leave the palace 



52 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 4. i. i 

[4. I.] A highway running through a forest 

Three outlaws^ hearing hows and arrows^ keep watch from 
a thicket: Valentine and Speed are seen approaching 

1 Outlaw, Fellows, stand fast... I see a passenger. 

2 Outlaw, If there be ten, shrink not, but down with 

'em. 

They step forth and cover them with their hows 

3 Outlaw, Stand, sir, and throw us that you have 

about ye.... 
If not.. .we'll make you sit, and rifle you. 

Speed. Sir, we are undone; these are the villains 
That all the travellers do fear so much. 

Valentine [calm]. My friends — 

1 Outlaw. That's not so, sir: we are your enemies. 

2 Outlaw. Peace... we'll hear him. 

3 Outlaw. Ay, by my beard, will we: for he's a proper 

man. 
Valentine. Then know, that I have little wealth to lose; 
A man I am crossed with adversity: 
My riches are these poor habiliments. 
Of which if you should here disfurnish me. 
You take the sum and substance that I have. 

2 Outlaw. Whither travel you? 
Valentine. To Verona. 

I Outlaw. Whence came you? 
Valentine. From Milan. 

3 Outlaw. Have you long sojourned there? 
Valentine. Some sixteen months, and longer might 

have stayed, 
If crooked fortune had not thwarted me. 

1 Outlaw. What, were you banished thence? 
Valentine, I was. 

2 Outlaw. For what offence? 



4- I. 26 OF VERONA 53 

Valentine. For that which now torments me to re- 
hearse; 
I killed a man, whose death I much repent. 
But yet I slew him manfully in fight, 
Without false vantage, or base treachery. 

I Outlaw, Why, ne'er repent it, if it were done so; 
But were you banished for so small a fault? 

Valentine. I was, and held me glad of such a doom. 

I Outlaw. Have you the tongues? 

Valentine. My youthful travel therein made me happy; 
Or else I often had been miserable. 

3 Outlaw. By the bare scalp of Robin Hood's fat friar, 
This fellow were a king for our wild faction. 

1 Outlaw. We'll have him... Sirs, a word, [they talk apart 
Speed. Master, be one of them: 

It's an honourable kind of thievery. 
Valentine. Peace, villain. 

2 Outlaw, Tell us this: have you any thing to take to? 
Valentine. Nothing but my fortune. 

3 Outlaw. Know then, that some of us are gentlemen. 
Such as the fury of ungoverned youth 

Thrust from the company of awful men.... 
Myself was from Verona banished. 
For practising to steal away a lady, 
fAn heir, and near allied unto the duke. 

2 Outlaw. And I from Mantua, for a gentleman. 
Whom, in my mood, I stabbed unto the h^art. 

1 Outlaw. And I, for such like petty crimes as these.... 
But to the purpose: for we cite our faults. 

That they may hold excused our lawless lives; 

And partly, seeing you are beautified 

With goodly shape, and by your own report 

A linguist, and a man of such perfection 

As we do in our quality much want — 

2 Outlaw. Indeed, because you are a banished man. 



54 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 4.1.60 

Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you: 
Are you content to be our general? 
To make a virtue of necessity, 
And live as we do in this wilderness .f* 
3 Outlaw: What sayst thou.^* wilt thou be of our con- 
sort.? 
Say 'ay,* and be the captain of us all: 
We'll do thee homage and be ruled by thee, 
Love thee as our commander and our king. 

1 Outlaw. But if thou scorn our courtesy, thou diest. 

2 Outlaw, Thou shalt not live to brag what we have 

offered. 
Valentine, I take your offer, and will live with you, 
Provided that you do no outrages 
On silly women or poor passengers. 

3 Outlaw. No, we detest such vile base practices.... 
Come, go with us, we'll bring thee to our crew. 

And show thee all the treasure we have got; 
Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose. 

[they turn into the forest 

[4. 2.] A wall, ^ith a posterUy behind the Duke's palace: 
inside a strip of garden dividing the wall from a lofty 
turret; outside, a narrow lane with bushes: a moonlit night 

Proteus opens the postern and enters the garden 

Proteus, Already have I been false to Valentine, 
And now I must be as unjust to Thurio. 
Under the colour of commending him, 
I have access my own love to prefer.... 
But Silvia is too fair, too true, too holy, 
To be corrupted with my worthless gifts; 
When I protest true loyalty to her. 
She twits me with my falsehood to my friend; 
When to her beauty I commend my vows, 



4.2.IO OF VERONA 55 

She bids me think how I have been forsworn 
In breaking faith with JuHa whom I loved; 
And notwithstanding all her sudden quips, 
The least whereof would quell a lover's hope... 
Yet, spaniel-like, the more she spurns my love, 
The more it grows, and fawneth on her still; 

TnURIO and the musicians come up the lane 

But here comes Thurio; now must we to her window. 
And give some evening music to her ear. 

Thurio [enters the garden]. How now, Sir Proteus, are 
you crept before us? 

Proteus, Ay, gentle Thurio, for you know that love 
Will creep in service where it cannot go. 

Thurio, Ay, but I hope, sir, that you love not here. 

Proteus, Sir, but I do: or else I would be hence. 

Thurio, Who.? Silvia.? 

Proteus, Ay, Silvia — for your sake. 

Thurio. I thank you for your own. ..Now, gentlemen. 
Let's tune, and to it lustily awhile. 

The musicians stand beneath a balcony of the turret: an old 
Host and Julia, disguised as a boy, appear in the lane 

Host. Now, my young guest; methinks you're alHcholy; 
I pray you, why is it.? 

Julia, Marry, mine host, because I cannot be merry. 

Host, Come, we'll have you merry: I'll bring you where 
you shall hear music, and see the gentleman that you 
asked for. [they approach the postern 

Julia, But shall I hear him speak? 

Host. Ay, that you shall. 

Julia, That will be music. [the musicians strike up 

Host, Hark! hark! 

Julia, Is he among these? 



56 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 4.2.37 

Host, Ay: but peace, let's hear 'em. 

Song. 
Who is Silvia? what is she. 
That all our swains commend her? 
Holy, fair, and wise is she. 
The heaven such grace did lend her, 
That she might admired be. 

Is she kind as she is fair? 
For beauty lives with kindness: 
Love doth to her eyes repair, 
To help him of his blindness: 

And, being helped, inhabits there. 

Then to Silvia let us sing. 
That Silvia is excelling; 
She excels each mortal thing. 
Upon the dull earth dwelling. 
To her let us garlands bring. 

Host, How now! are you sadder than you were before.? 
How do you, man? the music likes you not. 

Julia. You mistake: the musician likes me not. 

Host. Why, my pretty youth? 

Julia, He plays false, father. 

Host. How? out of tune on the strings? 

Julia, Not so: but yet so false, that he grieves my 
very heart-strings. 

Host. You have a quick ear. 

Jtdia. Ay, I would I were deaf.. .it makes me have a 
slow heart. 

Host. I perceive you delight not in music. 

Julia. Not a whit, when it jars so. [the music begins 
afresh 

Host. Hark, what fine change is in the music! 

Julia. Ay: that change is the spite. 

Host, You would have them always play but one thing. 



4. 2. 69 OF VERONA 57 

Julia, I would always have one play but one thing.... 
But, host, doth this Sir Proteus that we talk on 
Often resort unto this gentlewoman.? 

Host, I tell you what Launce, his man, told me — he 
loved her out of all nick. 
Julia, Where is Launce.? 

Host. Gone to seek his dog, which to-morrow, by his 
master's command, he must carry for a present to his 
lady. 
Julia, Peace, stand aside, the company parts. 

[they crouch behind a hush 
Proteus [at the postern]. Sir Thurio, fear not you. I will 
so plead, 
That you shall say my cunning drift excels. 
Thurio. Where meet we.? 

Proteus. At Saint Gregory's well. 

Thurio, Farewell. 

[Thurio and the musicians go off down the lane 

A window opens in the turret; SiLVIA appears on 
the balcony 

Proteus, Madam: good even to your ladyship. 

Silvia, I thank you for your music, gentlemen. 
Who is that that spake.? 

Proteus, One, lady, if you knew his pure heart's truth. 
You would quickly learn to know him by his voice. 

Silvia, Sir Proteus, as I take it. 

Proteus, Sir Proteus, gentle lady, and your servant. 

Silvia, What is your will.? 

Proteus, That I may compass yours. 

Silvia, You have your wish: my will is even this — 
That presently you hie you home to bed... 
Thou subtle, perjured, false, disloyal man! 
Think'st thou I am so shallow, so conceitless, 
To be seduced by thy flattery, 



58 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 4.2.94 

That hast deceived so many with thy vows? 
Return, return, and make thy love amends: 
For me — by this pale queen of night I swear! 
I am so far from granting thy request. 
That I despise thee for thy wrongful suit; 
And by and by intend to chide myself 
Even for this time I spend in talking to thee. 

Proteus, I grant, sweet love, that I did love a lady — 
But she is dead. 

{Julia, 'Twere false, if I should speak it; 

For I am sure she is not buried. 

Silvia, Say that she be: yet Valentine thy friend 
Survives; to whom — thyself art witness — 
I am betrothed; and art thou not ashamed 
To wrong him with thy importimacy.^ 

Proteus. I likewise hear that Valentine is dead. 

Silvia, And so suppose am I; for in his grave 
Assure thyself my love is buried. 

Proteus, Sweet lady, let me rake it from the earth. 

Silvia, Go to thy lady's grave and call her's thence 
Or, at the least, in her's sepulchre thine. 

(Julia, He heard not that. 

Proteus, Madam. ..if your heart be so obdurate... 
Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love. 
The picture that is hanging in your chamber: 
To that I'll speak, to that I'll sigh and weep: 
For since the substance of your perfect self 
Is else devoted, I am but a shadow; 
And to your shadow — will I make true love. 

(Julia, If 'twere a substance, you would, sure, deceive 
it, 
And make it but a shadow, as I am. 

Silvia. I am very loath to be your idol, sir; 
But, since your falsehood shall become you well 
To worship shadows and adore false shapes. 



4. 2. 127 OF VERONA 59 

Send to me in the morning, and Fll send it: 

And so, good rest. [she shuts her window 

Proteus. As wretches have o'ernight 

That wait for execution in the morn. 

[he closes the postern and passes down the lane 

Julia, Host, will you go? 

Host. By my halidom, I was fast asleep. 

Julia. Pray you, where lies Sir Proteus? 

Host. Marry, at my house... Trust me, I think 'tis 
almost day. 

Julia. Not so: but it hath been the longest night. 
That e'er I watched, and the most heaviest. [they go 

[4. 3.] Eglamour comes down the lane and halts by 
the postern 

Eglamour. This is the hour that Madam Silvia 
Entreated me to call and know her mind: 
There's some great matter she'll employ me in.... 
Madam, madam! [calling 

The window opens and Silvia appears once more 

Silvia. Who calls? 

Eglamour. Your servant, and your friend; 

One that attends your ladyship's command. 

Silvia. Sir Eglamour, a thousand times good morrow. 

Eglamour. As many, worthy lady, to yourself... 
According to your ladyship's impose, 
I am thus early come to know what service 
It is your pleasure to command me in. 

Silvia. O Eglamour, thou art a gentleman — 
Think not I flatter, for I swear I do not — 
Valiant, wise, remorseful, well-accomplished. 
Thou art not ignorant what dear good will 
I bear unto the banished Valentine... 
Nor how my father would enforce me marry 
Vain Thurio — whom my very soul abhors.... 



6o THE TWO GENTLEMEN 4.3,18 

Thyself hast loved, and I have heard thee say 

No grief did ever come so near thy heart, 

As when thy lady and thy true love died. 

Upon whose grave thou vow'dst pure chastity... 

Sir Eglamour...! would to Valentine, 

To Mantua, where I hear he makes abode; 

And, for the ways are dangerous to pass, 

I do desire thy worthy company. 

Upon whose faith and honour I repose.... 

Urge not my father's anger, Eglamour, 

But think upon my grief — a lady's grief — 

And on the justice of my flying hence. 

To keep me from a most unholy match, 

Which heaven and fortune still reward with plagues.... 

I do desire thee, even from a heart 

As full of sorrows as the sea of sands, 

To bear me company, and go with me: 

If not, to hide what I have said to thee. 

That I may venture to depart alone. 

Eglamour. Madam, I pity much your grievances. 
Which since I know they virtuously are placed, 
I give consent to go along with you. 
Recking as little what betideth me. 
As much I wish all good befortune you.... 
When will you go? 

Silvia. This evening coming. 

Eglamour, Where shall I meet you? 

Silvia. At Friar Patrick's cell. 

Where I intend holy confession. 

Eglamour, I will not fail your ladyship: good morrow, 
gentle lady. [he returns up the lane 

Silvia. Good morrow, kind Sir Eglamour. 

[she closes her window 

Six or seven hours pass 



4-4. I OF VERONA 6i 



[4. 4.] Launce, with his dog at his heels ^ comes forth from 
the postern, and casts himself under a hush, groa7iing 

Launce \to the do^. When a man's servant shall play 
the cur with him — look you — it goes hard: one that I 
brought up of a puppy: one that I saved from drowning, 
when three or four of his blind brothers and sisters went 
to it: I have taught him — even as one would say pre- 
cisely, 'Thus I would teach a dog/ I was sent to deliver 
him, as a present to Mistress Silvia from my master; and 
I came no sooner into the dining-ch amber, but he steps 
me to her trencher, and steals her capon's leg...O, 'tis a 
foul thing, when a cur cannot keep himself in all com- 
panies: I would have — as one should say — one that takes 
upon him to be a dog indeed, to be, as it were, a dog at 
all things. ...If I had not had more wit than he, to take a 
fault upon me that he did, I think verily he had been 
hanged for't: sure as I live, he had suffered for't: you 
shall judge... He thrusts me himself into the company 
of three or four gentlemen-like dogs, under the duke's 
table: he had not been there (bless the mark!) a pissing- 
while, but all the chamber smelt him... 'Out with the dog,' 
says one — 'What cur is that.^" says another — 'Whip 
him out,' says the third — 'Hang him up,' says the duke 
....I, having been acquainted with the smell before, knew 
it was Crab; and goes me to the fellow that whips the 
dogs: 'Friend,' quoth I, 'you mean to whip the dog?' 
'Ay, marry, do I,' quoth he. 'You do him the more 
wrong,' quoth I, ' 'twas I did the thing you wot of; he 
makes me no more ado, but whips me out of the cham- 
ber.. .How many masters would do this for his servant? 
Nay, ril be sworn, I have sat in the stocks for puddings 
he hath stol'n, otherwise he had been executed: I have 
stood on the pillory for geese he hath killed, otherwise 



62 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 44.. 31 

he had suffered for't...Thou think'st not of this now... 
Nay, I remember the trick you served me, when I took 
my leave of Madam Silvia: did not I bid thee still mark 
me, and do as I do? when didst thou see me heave up my 
leg, and make water against a gentlewoman's farthin- 
gale? didst thou ever see me do such a trick? 

Proteus and Julia {disguised as a hoy) pass hy 

Proteus, Sebastian is thy name: I like thee well, 
And will employ thee in some service presently. 

Julia. In what you please. I will do what I can. 

Proteus. I hope thou wilt...[A^ spies Launce] How now, 
you whoreson peasant! 
Where have you been these two days loitering? 

Launce. Marry, sir, I carried Mistress Silvia the dog 
you bade me. 

Proteus. And what says she to my little Jewel? 

Launce. Marry, she says your dog was a cur, and tells 
you currish thanks is good enough for such a present. 

Proteus. But she received my dog? 

Launce. No, indeed, she did not: here have I brought 
him back again. 

Proteus. What! didst thou offer her this from me? 

Launce. Ay sir, the other squirrel was stol'n from me 
by the hangman boys in the market-place, and then I 
offered her mine own, who is a dog as big as ten of yours, 
and therefore the gift the greater. 

Proteus. Go, get thee hence, and find my dog again. 
Or ne'er return again into my sight.... 
Away, I say...stayest thou to vex me here? 
A slave, that still an-end turns me to shame... 

[Launce goes, with Crab behind him 
Sebastian, I have entertained thee. 



4.4.61 OF VERONA 63 

Partly that I have need of such a youth. 

That can with some discretion do my business... 

For 'tis no trusting to yond fooHsh lout... 

But chiefly for thy face and thy behaviour, 

Which, if my augury deceive me not, 

Witness good bringing up, fortune, and truth: 

Therefore know thou, for this I entertain thee.... 

Go presently, and take this ring with thee, 

Deliver it to Madam Silvia... 

She loved me well delivered it to me. 

Julia, fit seems you loved not her, nor love her token.. 

[taking the ring 
She is dead, belike? 

Proteus. Not so... I think she lives. 

Julia, Alas! 

Proteus, Why dost thou cry *alas\? 

Julia, I cannot choose but pity her. 

Proteus, Wherefore shouldst thou pity her? 

Julia. Because, methinks, that she loved you as well 
As you do love your lady Silvia... 
She dreams on him that has forgot her love — 
You dote on her that cares not for your love.... 
'Tis pity love should be so contrary: 
And thinking on it makes me cry, *alas!' 

Proteus, Well... give her that ring, and therewithal 
This letter... [^om^j^] That's her chamber... Tell my lady 
I claim the promise for her heavenly picture: 
Your message done, hie home unto my chamber. 
Where thou shalt find me sad — and solitary. [he goes 

Julia, How many women would do such a message? 
Alas, poor Proteus, thou hast entertained 
A fox to be the shepherd of thy lambs; 
Alas, poor fool, why do I pity him 
That with his very heart despiseth me? 



64 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 4.4.93 

Because he loves her, he despiseth me — 

Because I love him, I must pity him.... 

This ring I gave him, when he parted from me, 

To bind him to remember my good v^ill: 

And now am I — unhappy messenger! — 

To plead for that, which I would not obtain; 

To carry that, which I would have refused; 

To praise his faith, which I would have dispraised.... 

I am my master's true confirmed love. 

But cannot be true servant to my master. 

Unless I prove false traitor to myself.... 

Yet will I woo for him, but yet so coldly, 

As, heaven it knows, I would not have him speed.... 

Silvia comes from the postern 

Gentlewoman, good day: I pray you be my mean 
To bring me where to speak with Madam Silvia. 

Silvia. What would you with her, if that I be she.'* 

Julia, If you be she, I do entreat your patience 
To hear me speak the message I am sent on. 

Silvia. From whom.f^ 

Julia. From my master. Sir Proteus, madam. 

Silvia. 0...he sends you for a picture? 

Julia. Ay, madam. 

Silvia [calling]. Ursula, bring my picture there. 

[the maid brings the picture 
Go give your master this: tell him from me, 
One Julia, that his changing thoughts forget. 
Would better fit his chamber than this shadow. 

Julia. Madam, please you peruse this letter... 
Pardon me, madam, I have unadvised 
Delivered you a paper that I should not... 

[she takes it hack in haste and gives another 
This is the letter to your ladyship. 



4.4.123 OF VERONA 65 

Silvia. I pray thee, let me look on that again. 

Julia. It may not be: good madam, pardon me. 

Silvia. There, hold... 

[she tears the letter across and returns it 
I will not look upon your master's lines: 
I know they are stuffed with protestations, 
And full of new-found oaths, which he will break 
As easily as I do tear his paper. 

Julia. Madam, he sends your ladyship this ring. 

Silvia. The more shame for him, that he sends it me; 
For I have heard him say a thousand times 
His Julia gave it him at his departure: 
Though his false finger hath profaned the ring. 
Mine shall not do his Julia so much wrong. 

Julia. She thanks you. 

Silvia. What sayst thou? 

Julia. I thank you, madam, that you tender her: 
Poor gentlewoman, my master wrongs her much. 

Silvia. Dost thou know her? 

Julia. Almost as well as I do know myself.... 
To think upon her woes, I do protest 
That I have wept a hundred several times. 

Silvia. Belike she thinks that Proteus hath forsook her? 

Julia. I think she doth; and that's her cause of sorrow. 

Silvia. Is she not passing fair? 

Julia. She hath been fairer, madam, than she is; 
When she did think my master loved her well. 
She, in my judgement, was as fair as you.... 
But since she did neglect her looking-glass. 
And threw her sun-expelling mask away. 
The air hath starved the roses in her cheeks, 
And pinched the lily-tincture of her face, 
That now she is become as black as L 

Silvia* How tall was she? 



(£ THE TWO GENTLEMEN 4.4.156 

Julia. About my stature: for, at Pentecost, 
When all our pageants of delight were played, 
Our youth got me to play the woman's part, 
And I was trimmed in Madam Julia's gown, 
Which served me as fit, by all men's judgement. 
As if the garment had been made for me: 
Therefore, I know she is about my height. 
And at that time I made her weep agood, 
For I did play a lamentable part.... 
Madam, 'twas Ariadne, passioning 
For Theseus' perjury and unjust flight; 
Which I so lively acted with my tears... 
That my poor mistress, moved therewithal, 
Wept bitterly... and, would I might be dead. 
If I in thought felt not her very sorrow. 

Silvia. She is beholding to thee, gentle youth. 
Alas, poor lady! desolate and left; 
I weep myself to think upon thy words... 
Here, youth: there is my purse; I give thee this 
For thy sweet mistress' sake, because thou lov'st her. 
Farewell. 

Julia, And she shall thank you for't, if e'er you 

know her.... [Silvia goes 

A virtuous gentlewoman, mild, and beautiful.... 
I hope my master's suit will be but cold, 
Since she respects my mistress' love so much.... 
Alas, how love can trifle with itself: 
Here is her picture... [she sits] Let me see. I think 
If I had such a tire, this face of mine 
Were full as lovely as is this of hers; 
And yet the painter flattered her a little. 
Unless I flatter with myself too much.... 
Her hair is auburn, mine is perfect yellow; 
If that be all the diff*erence in his love. 



4.4- i89 OF VERONA Oj 

ril get me such a coloured periwig: 

Her eyes are grey as glass, and so are mine: 

Ay, but her forehead's low, and mine's as high: 

What should it be that he respects in her, 

But I can make respective in myself, 

If this fond Love were not a blinded god? \5}ie rises 

Come, shadow, come, and take this shadow up, 

For 'tis thy rival: O thou senseless form. 

Thou shalt be worshipped, kissed, loved, and adored; 

And, were there sense in his idolatry. 

My substance should be statue in thy stead.... 

I'll use thee kindly, for thy mistress' sake 

That used me so... or else, by Jove I vow, 

I should have scratched out your unseeing eyes. 

To make my master out of love with thee. 

\she hears away the picture 

[5, I.] An ahhey near Milan: evening 

Eglamour cloaked and spurred, awaits Silvia 

Eglamour, The sun begins to gild the western sky, 
And now it is about the very hour 
That Silvia, at Friar Patrick's cell, should meet me. 
She will not fail; for lovers break not hours, 
Unless it be to come before their time — 
So much they spur their expedition.... 

Silvia approaches in haste 

See, where she comes.. .Lady, a happy evening! 

Silvia. Amen, amen... go on, good Eglamour, 
Out at the postern by the abbey-wall; 
I fear I am attended by some spies. 

Eglamour. Fear not: the forest is not three leagues off. 
If we recover that, we are sure enough. 

[they quit the ahhey 



68 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 5.2.1 

[5. 2.] Milan: a room in the Duke's palace 

Thurio: Proteus, with Julia {as Sebastian) 
in attendance 

Thurio, Sir Proteus, what says Silvia to my suit.^ 

Proteus, O sir, I find her milder than she was. 
And yet she takes exceptions at your person. 

Thurio. What.^ — that my leg is too long.^ 

Proteus, No, that it is too little. 

Thurio, I'll wear a boot, to make it somewhat rounder. 

{Julia, But love will not be spurred to what it loathes. 

Thurio, What says she to my face.f* 

Proteus, She says it is a fair one. 

Thurio. Nay then the wanton lies: my face is black. 

Proteus. But pearls are fair; and the old saying is. 
Black men are pearls in beauteous ladies' eyes. 

{Julia. 'Tis true, such pearls as put out ladies' eyes, 
For I had rather wink than look on them. 

Thurio. How likes she my discourse.^ 

Proteus, 111, when you talk of war. 

Thurio, But well, when I discourse of love and peace. 

{Julia, But better, indeed, when you hold your peace. 

Thurio. What says she to my valour? 

Proteus, O sir, she makes no doubt of that. 

{Julia, She needs not, when she knows it cowardice. 

Thurio, What says she to my birth .f* 

Proteus. That you are well derived. 

{Julia, True: from a gentleman to a fool. 

Thurio, Considers she my possessions? 

Proteus, O, ay: and pities them. 

Thurio, Wherefore? 

{Julia, That such an ass should owe them. 

Proteus. That they are out by lease. 

Julia. Here comes the duke. 



5.2.31 OF VERONA 69 

The Duke enters, in haste 

Duke. How now, Sir Proteus! how now Thurio! 
Which of you saw Sir Eglamour of late? 

Thurio, Not I. 

Proteus. Nor I. 

Duke, Saw you my daughter? 

Proteus, Neither. 

Duke. Why then, 

She's fled unto that peasant Valentine; 
And Eglamour is in her company: 
Tis true... for Friar Laurence met them both. 
As he in penance wandered through the forest: 
Him he knew well: and guessed that it was she. 
But, being masked, he was not sure of it.... 
Besides, she did intend confession 
At Patrick's cell this even — and there she was not.... 
These likelihoods confirm her flight from hence; 
Therefore, I pray you, stand not to discourse. 
But mount you presently, and meet with me 
Upon the rising of the mountain-foot 
That leads towards Mantua, whither they are fled: 
Dispatch — sweet gentlemen! — and follow me. 

[he hurries out 

Thurio. Why, this it is to be a peevish girl. 
That flies her fortune when it follows her: 
I'll after; more to be revenged on Eglamour 
Than for the love of reckless Silvia, [he follows the Duke 

Proteus. And I will follow, more for Silvia's love 
Than hate of Eglamour that goes with her. 

[he follows Thurio 

Julia. And I will follow, more to cross that love 
Than hate for Silvia that is gone for love. 

[she follows Protei'.s 



70 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 5.3.1 

[5. 3.] The highway in the forest 

Silvia, in the hands of the Outlaws 

1 Outlaw, Come, come, be patient: we must bring you 

to our captain. 
Silvia. A thousand more mischances than this one 
Have learned me how to brook this patiently. 

2 Outlaw. Come, bring her away. 

I Outlaw. Where is the gentleman that was with her.^* 

3 Outlaw. Being nimble-footed, he hath outrun us.... 
But Moses and Valerius follow him: 

Go thou with her to the west end of the wood. 
There is our captain: we^U follow him that's fled — 
The thicket is beset, he cannot 'scape. 

I Outlaw. Come, I must bring you to our 
captain's cave.... 
Fear not: he bears an honourable mind, 
And will not use a woman lawlessly. 

Silvia. O Valentine... this I endure for thee. 

[5. 4.] They pass into the wood: VALENTINE 
comes slowly along the highway 

Valentine. How use doth breed a habit in a man! 
This shadowy desert, unfrequented woods, 
I better brook than flourishing peopled towns: 
Here can I sit alone, unseen of any. 
And to the nightingale's complaining notes 
Tune my distresses and record my woes.... 
O thou that dost inhabit in my breast, 
Leave not the mansion so long tenantless, 
Lest, growing ruinous, the building fall. 
And leave no memory of what it was. 
Repair me with thy presence, Silvia: 
Thou gentle nymph, cherish thy forlorn swain.... 



5.4. 13 OF VERONA 71 

He muses: cries and the sound of blows are heard 

What halloing and what stir is this to-day? 

These are my mates, that make their wills their law. 

Have some unhappy passenger in chase; 

They love me well: yet I have much to do, 

To keep them uncivil from outrages.... 

Withdraw thee, Valentine; who's this comes here? 

He withdraws: SlLVIAy in disarray, comes from the woody 
Proteus and Julia {as Sebastian) following 

Proteus. Madam, this service I have done for you — 
Though you respect not aught your servant doth — 
To hazard life and rescue you from him 
That would have forced your honour and your love. 
Vouchsafe me, for my meed, but one fair look: 
A smaller boon than this I cannot beg, 
And less than this, I am sure, you cannot give. 

{Valentine. How like a dream is this! I see — and hear... 
Love, lend me patience to forbear awhile. 

Silvia. O miserable, unhappy that I am! 

Proteus. Unhappy were you, madam, ere I came: 
But, by my coming, I have made you happy. 

Silvia. By thy approach thou mak'st me most 
unhappy. 

{Julia. And me, when he approacheth to your 
presence. 

Silvia. Had I been seized by a hungry lion, 
I would have been a breakfast to the beast. 
Rather than have false Proteus rescue me: 
O, heaven be judge, how I love Valentine, 
Whose life's as tender to me as my soul — 
And full as much (for more there cannot be!) 
I do detest false perjured Proteus.... 
Therefore be gone, solicit me no more. 



72 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 5.4.41 

Proteus. What dangerous action, stood it next to death, 
Would I not undergo for one calm look? 
O, 'tis the curse in love, and still approved, 
When women cannot love where they're beloved. 

Silvia. When Proteus cannot love where he's beloved... 
Read over Julia's heart — thy first best love — 
fFor whose dear sake thou didst then rend thy faith 
Into a thousand oaths; and, all those oaths 
Descended into perjury — to love me. 
Thou hast no faith left now, unless thou'dst two, 
And that's far worse than none: better have none 
Than plural faith, which is too much by one... 
Thou counterfeit, to thy true friend! 

Proteus. In love, 

Who respects friend? 

Silvia. All men but Proteus 

Proteus. Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words 
Can no way change you to a milder form... 
I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end. 
And love you 'gainst the nature of love. ..force ye. 

Silvia. heaven! 

Proteus [seizing her]. I'll force thee yield to 

my desire. 

Valentine. Ruffian! [leaping out upon him] let go that 
rude uncivil touch. 
Thou friend of an ill fashion! 

Proteus [falling hack]. Valentine! 

Valentine. Thou common friend, that's without faith 
or love — 
For such is a friend now: treacherous man, 
Thou hast beguiled my hopes; nought but mine eye 
Could have persuaded me: now I dare not say 
I have one friend alive; thou wouldst disprove me... 
fWho should be trusted, when one's own right hand 



5.4-68 OF VERONA 73 

Is perjured to the bosom? Proteus, 

I am sorry I must never trust thee more, 

But count the world a stranger for thy sake: 

The private wound is deepest: O time, most accurst... 

^Mongst all foes that a friend should be the worst! 

Proteus. My shame and guilt confounds me... 
Forgive me, Valentine... if hearty sorrow 
Be a sufficient ransom for offence, 
I tender't here; I do as truly suffer. 
As e'er I did commit. 

Valentine, Then I am paid: 

And once again I do receive thee honest; 
Who by repentance is not satisfied. 
Is nor of heaven nor earth; for these are pleased: 
By penitence th'Sternal's wrath's appeased... 
And that my love may appear plain and free. 
All that was mine in Silvia I give thee. 

Julia, O me, unhappy! [she swoons 

Proteus, Look to the boy. 

Valentine, Why, boy! 
Why wag! how now.f* what's the matter? Look up: speak. 

Julia, O good sir, my master charged me to deliver a 
ring to Madam Silvia... which, out of my neglect, was 
never done. 

Proteus, Where is that ring, boy? 

Julia, Here 'tis.... this is it. 

Proteus, How! let me see.... [taking it 

Why this is the ring I gave to Julia. 

Julia, O, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook: 
This is the ring you sent to Silvia, [she profers another 
ring 

Proteus, But how cam'st thou by this ring? at my 

depart 
I gave this unto Julia. 

Julia. And Julia herself did give it me — 
And Julia herself hath brought it hither. 



74 THE TWO GENTLEMEN 5. 4. loi 

Proteus, How! Julia! 

Julia, Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths. 
And entertained 'em deeply in her heart.... 
How oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root! 
O Proteus, let this habit make thee blush.... 
Be thou ashamed that I have took upon me 
Such an immodest raiment; if shame live 
In a disguise of love! 
It is the lesser blot, modesty finds. 
Women to change their shapes than men their minds. 

Proteus. Than men their minds. f* 'tis true...O heaven, 
were man 
But constant, he were perfect; that one error 
Fills him with faults... makes him run through all th'sins; 
Inconstancy falls off ere it begins: 
What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy 
More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye? 

Valentine, Come, come: a hand from either: 

[he joins their hands 
Let me be blest to make this happy close: 
'Twere pity two such friends should be long foes. 

Proteus, Bear witness, heaven, I have my wish for ever. 

Julia, And I mine. 



Outlaws appear, haling along the DuKE and TnURIO 

Outlaw, A prize.. .a prize.. .a prize! 

Valentine, Forbear, forbear, I say: it is my lord the 
duke.... 
Your grace is welcome to a man disgraced. 
Banished Valentine. 

Duke. Sir Valentine! 

Thurio, Yonder is Silvia: and Silvia's mine. 

[he makes towards her 

Valentine, Thurio give back; or else embrace thy death: 
Come not within the measure of my wrath: 



5.4.129 OF VERONA 75 

Do not name Silvia thine: if once again, 
Verona shall not hold thee.. .Here she stands, 
Take but possession of her — with a touch... 
I dare thee but to breathe upon my love! 

Thurio. Sir Valentine, I care not for her, I: 
I hold him but a fool that will endanger 
His body for a girl that loves him not: 
I claim her not, and therefore she is thine. 

Duke, The more degenerate and base art thou, 
To make such means for her as thou hast done. 
And leave her on such slight conditions.... 

[he turns from him 
Now, by the honour of my ancestry, 
I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine, 
And think thee worthy of an empress' love: 
Know then, I here forget all former griefs. 
Cancel all grudge, repeal thee home again, 
Plead a new state in thy unrivalled merit. 
To which I thus subscribe: Sir Valentine, 
Thou art a gentlemen, and well derived. 
Take thou thy Silvia, for thou hast deserved her. 

Valentine. I thank your grace; the gift hath made 
me happy: 
I now beseech you — for your daughter's sake — 
To grant one boon that I shall ask of you. 

Duke, I grant it — for thine own — ^whate'er it be. 

Valentine. These banished men, that I have kept withal. 
Are men endued with worthy qualities: 
Forgive them what they have committed here, 
And let them be recalled from their e^dle: 
They are reformed, civil, full of good. 
And fit for great employment, worthy lord. 

Duke. Thou hast prevailed, I pardon them and thee: 
Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts.... 



76 THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 5.4.161 

Come, let us go. We will include all jars 
With triumphs, mirth, and rare solemnity. 

Valentine, And, as we walk along, I dare be bold 
With our discourse to make your grace to smile.... 
What think you of this page, my lord .^ 

Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him — he blushes. 

Valentine, I warrant you, my lord, more grace than 
boy. 

Duke, What mean you by that saying? 

Valentine, Please you, V\\ tell you as we pass along. 
That you will wonder what hath fortuned: 
Come Proteus, 'tis your penance but to hear 
The story of your loves discovered.... 
That done, our day of marriage shall be yours — 
One feast, one house, one mutual happiness. 

They pass out of sight along the highway 



THE COPY FOR THE TWO 
GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, 1623 

There is no Quarto for The Two Gentlemen and the 
play probably first saw the light of print in the First 
Folio. The most striking bibliographical features of this 
text, features which it shares with The Merry Wives ^ its 
successor in the Folio, are the complete absence of stage- 
directions and the almost complete absence of entries 
and exits for characters, except at the beginning or end 
of the scenes. Despite the claim in the Folio sub-title 
that the plays of that volume were 'truely set forth, 
according to their first originall,' it is hardly possible 
that a text in this condition can have been printed from 
theatrical prompt-copy, still less from the author's 
manuscript. No company could have acted the play 
as it stands. Yet it is not difficult to see how such 
a text could have been made up for a printer. 

For stage-performance in Shakespeare's day three 
sorts of manuscript material were necessary. First, 
there was the prompt-copy, which contained at least 
the bare minimum of stage-directions together with pre- 
cise indications for the entry of characters and generally, 
though being less important not so invariably, the indi- 
cations for exit. Second, there were the players' parts, 
which were transcribed from the prompt-copy, with the 
cues, and handed out to the actors for the memorising 
of their lines. Third, there was the *plot' or 'plat' of 
the play, a foolscap sheet (often pasted on to a board so 
that it could be hung up at a convenient place behind 
the scenes) on which were written the names of the char- 
acters appearing in each scene and of the actors playing 
them, in the order in which they were to come on. On 



78 THE COPY FOR THE TWO 

this sheet the scene-divisions were marked by lines ruled 

across it, while occasionally act-divisions were also in- 
dicated in similar fashion. It is important to remember 
that these scene-divisions were theatrical and not liter- 
ary in character, that is to say they occurred when one 
group of players left the stage to make room for another, 
even when the action was continuous and the mise en 
scene unaltered. In a word the rules across the 'plot' 
were exeunt omnes lines. We believe that the 'copy' 
for The Two Gentlemen was made up by stringing to- 
gether players' parts and arranging them in acts and 
scenes by the aid of a 'plot/ 

This hypothesis at any rate explains many peculiari- 
ties of the Folio text. It explains, for example, the ab- 
sence of stage-directions, and the paucity of the exits and 
entries. The latter feature is particularly instructive. 
The only exits found are those at the end of the scenes 
and at four other places where it would be obvious to a 
compositor or copyist of average intelligence that the 
context demands one. The entries are even more ex- 
traordinary. In fact there are no proper entries at all, 
merely lists at the head of each scene of the characters 
to appear in it, in the order of their appearance. Thus 
2. 4. is headed 'Enter Valentine, Siluia, Speed, Duke, 
Protheus,' although the Duke does not enter until 1. 46 
or Proteus until 1. 97. Now these lists of characters, 
arranged in the order of entry, correspond very closely 
with the lists found in the extant 'plots' of the period, 
except of course that the players' names are omitted. 
If we suppose that the prompt-copy of The Two Gentle- 
men was lost, that Heminge and Condell supplied Jag- 
gard instead with the players' parts and the 'plot,' and 
that a scribe was employed to make up copy for the 
compositors from these materials, the result would be 
just such a text as now stands second in the Folio. 

Editors have uniformly remarked upon the compara- 



GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, 1623 79 

tive straightforwardness of this text, by which presum- 
ably they mean that it is freer than most from * mis- 
prints/ incorrect verse-lining and similar phenomena; 
and they have sometimes argued from this that the 
printer's copy was probably author's manuscript. We 
draw the opposite conclusion. In players' parts the ir- 
regularities and obscurities of the prompt-copy would 
be smoothed out, and a text derived therefrom would be 
virtually a clean copy. Where words were illegible, the 
players could refer to the author for light or, failing that, 
substitute makeshifts of their own in order to give sense. 
Textual difficulties might be safely left alone in the 
prompt-copy, but in the 'parts' they were bound to be 
tackled, since intelligibility is the first requisite of stage- 
performance. Doubtless the comparative simplicity of 
the language in this early play is one cause of its free- 
dom from verbal cruxes, as Malone pointed out. The 
main cause, however, we suggest, is that it was printed 
from a transcript in which most of the puzzles which 
prompt-copy would have set a compositor had been 
solved or eliminated. Nevertheless, though a tran- 
script from players' parts might be free from ambigui- 
ties, it by no means follows that it would be free from 
corruption. Actors, for instance, are prone to 'gag,' 
and we shall draw attention in our notes to certain pas- 
sages which may have suffered from this cause. 

But 'gag' is not the worst. There can be little doubt 
that the text, as a whole, whether in the original prompt- 
copy or in the process of making-out the players' parts, 
has been hacked about and drastically abridged in order 
to meet the requirements of a particular performance or 
company. In the nature of the case the bibliographical 
evidence for this is slight, but the literary evidence is so 
strong as to be overwhelming. The details will be 
brought out in the notes. A glance at two passages is 
enough to establish a prima facie case here: — 



8o THE COPY FOR THE TWO 

(i) 2. 4. 194-6, which the F. prints: 

It is mine, or Valentines praife? 

Her true perfection, or my falfe tranfgrefrion? 

That makes me reafonleffe, to reafon thus? 

The first line is hopeless. Most editors read *Is it' 
for *It is' and bolder spirits, like Theobald, rewrite the 
line as 

Is it mine eye or Valentino's praise. 

But the F. period, 'It is' and the absolutely unmetrical 
character of the line as it stands render legitimate 
emendation impossible. We are, therefore, forced to 
conclude that the text has been tampered with at this 
point, in order to shorten the soliloquy. Other in- 
stances of 'cutting' scarcely less glaring are to be found 
at 3. 2. 75-8 and 4. i. 55-8. 

(ii) 5. 4. 88-90, which the F. prints as prose, thus: 

lul. O good fir, my mafter charged me to deliuer a ring 
to Madam Siluia: w (out of my neglect) was neuer done. 

The occurrence of an isolated prose speech in the 
middle of a verse scene raises suspicions. But suspicion 
becomes certainty when it is observed that 

Which, out of my neglect, was never done 

is a line of verse. In other words, the adapter has here 
tampered with the text, using, however, a scrap of 
Shakespeare's original to help patch the rent. 

The presence of the adapter's hand serves to explain 
most if not all the dramatic anomalies, and they are 
many, in this strange text. A brief enquiry into how 
he worked w41l summarise the conclusions scattered 
throughout the notes. Scenes are curtailed. In 2. 2. 
and 5. 3., for example, we are presented with what are 
apparently nothing but the conclusions of longer scenes, 
in the original, the adapter attempting to conceal his 



GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, 1623 81 

traces by writing a few lines of prose as an introduction. 
Whole scenes are omitted. This explains the confusion 
of time-sequence, which is a noticeable feature of the 
transmitted text. The 'time/ for instance, of 3. i. is 
ridiculous as it stands; but imagine an interval-scene 
between 11. 187 and 188, and all would be well. Simi- 
larly, an interval-scene is needed between 4. 3. and 4. 4. 
A somewhat different example of the same kind of thing 
is found in 4. 4. where Julia is one moment at the foot of 
Silvia's tower and the next in her chamber (v. note 4. 4. 
105). It is to be suspected, moreover, that portions of 
two or more original scenes have been woven together 
in the manufacture of the infamous finale (v. head-note 
5. 4.). In work like this an adapter will naturally have 
to write a number of link-passages of his own; some- 
times these are in prose, sometimes in verse — or what 
passes as such. Again, drastic abridgment is bound to 
affect character. Julia's father (v. note i. 2. 131) 
probably appeared in the original, while we can be 
certain that Sir Eglamour's conduct in the forest was 
different (v. pp. xvi-xvii), to say nothing of the conduct 
of Valentine and Proteus in the last scene. Finally 
the confusion of names, e.g. *Panthion' for *Panthino,' 
*duke' for 'emperor,' 'Padua' for 'Milan,' etc., maybe 
set down to the same cause (v. notes i. 3. i, 27; 2. 5. i). 
The normal length of a play for the London stage in 
Elizabethan days was about 3000 lines; the received 
text of The Two Gentlemen contains some 2380 lines. 
After what has just been said it should not be difficult 
to believe that at least 600 lines of the original have 
disappeared. Did the adapter cut still deeper than 
this in order to make room for lengthy additions of his 
own ? It is impossible to answer positively; but we have 
strong suspicions that he did. Adaptation for a particu- 
lar company might carry with it alterations to fit a new 
cast. Now there are two clowns in this text, and the 



82 THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

difference in their quality is striking, to say the least of 
it. Launce is humorous, in the true Shakespearian 
manner, and his sallies, some of which we have been able 
to restore, bite almost every time. But Speed is a poor 
stick, without character, and he has not a single witty 
thing to say from beginning to end. In short, we think 
that Speed may be the creation or re-creation of the 
adapter (cf. notes i. i. 92; 2. i. 73-4; 2. 4. 7; 2. 5. i; 3. i. 
295; 5. 4. i). If so, he was forgotten in 5. 4., while the 
'Padua' scene (2. 5.) may be taken as a specimen of the 
adapter's unaided workmanship — there is nothing in 
it, nothing at all. 

It was a pleasure to find, after these notes had been 
made up, that a writer in The Shakespeare League 
Journal (Nov. 1920) had independently, and from the 
acting point of view, arrived at our main conclusions. 
'The piece,' she says, 'appears to have been subjected 
to the process known as ** tightening"; it is a short play 
and it may well be that, in order to bring it within 
the limits of some particular bill, it was cut down, some 
speeches being curtailed and others cut out altogether. 
This would partly, if not entirely, account for the 
imperfect psychology of the later scenes which makes 
acting so difficult, and would go far to explain the 
baldness of the dialogue in parts.' 

D. W. 



NOTES 

All significant departures from the Folio, including 
important emendations in punctuation, are recorded; 
the name of the critic who first suggested a reading being 
placed in brackets. Illustrative spelling and misprints 
are quoted from the Good Quarto texts or from the 
Folio where no Good Quarto exists. The line-numera- 
tion for reference to plays not yet issued in this edition 
is that used in Bartlett's Concordance, 

F., unless otherwise specified, stands for the First 
Folio; T.I. and Facs. = the Textual Introduction and the 
Facsimile of a passage from the 'Shakespearian' Addi- 
tion to Sir Thomas More, both to be found in the Tem- 
pest volume; N.E.D. = The New English Dictionary, Sh. 
Eng. = Shakespeare's England; S.D. = Stage-direction; 
G. = Glossary; Daniel = Time-Analysis of the plots of 
Shakespeare's Plays, P. A. Daniel, New Shak. Soc. 

Characters in the Play. Based upon *The names of all 
the Actors,' found at the end of the F. text. Variants: 
'Duke of Milan' for 'Duke'; 'Proteus' for 'Protheus'; 
'Antonio' for 'Anthonio'; 'Panthino' for 'Panthion' 
(v. note I. 3. i); 'Servants, musicians' added to the list. 

Acts and Scenes, F. divides throughout, and is fol- 
lowed by all modern editors. But F. divisions are proba- 
bly taken from the playhouse 'plot' (v. pp. 77-8 and 
T.I. §3). _ 

Punctuation, Less delicate than that found in The 
Tempest, as we should expect in an early play; but care- 
ful on the whole. It is not surprising to find good 
punctuation in a text taken, as we believe, from players' 
parts, since if dramatic pointing were not reproduced 
in the 'parts' it would be futile. We have occasionally 
used a semi-colon for a F. colon and vice versa. 

Stage-directions. None in the F., v. pp. 77-8. 



84 NOTES I. I. 



I. I. 

22. Leander cf. 3. i. 120. These references to Mar- 
lowe's Hero and Leander which was entered in the 
Stationers' Register in 1593, after the author's death, 
have been taken by some as proof that the play belongs 
to a later date. All they indicate, however, is that 
Shakespeare must have seen the poem in MS., a likely 
thing enough since there is a high probability that the 
two dramatists were working together at some period be- 
fore 1593. For the question of date v. note 3.1. 170-87. 

43. dwells, F. *dwels;' 

54. shipped Both Valentine and Proteus proceed 
from Verona to Milan by ship (cf. 2. 2. 14; 2. 4. 185), 
which is impossible, but it is noteworthy that Valentine 
returns homewards by land, and that Julia clearly in- 
tends a journey on foot (2. 7. 8-10, 35). Geography 
was not Shakespeare's strong point, but the confusion 
may well have been aggravated by the abridger. 

62. farewell One of the F.'s four internal * Exits' 
occurs at the end of this line, v. p. 78. 

65. leave (Pope) F. 'loue'; an ^: error, *leue' taken 
as 'loue.' V. T.I. p. xlii and cf. note 4. 4. 71. 

73. sheep, quibble upon 'ship.' 

75. An if F. 'And if 

76. I a sheep (F2) F. 'I Sheepe' 

78. my horns are his horns, etc. The point of the jest 
is obscure — possibly a reference to 'Little Boy Blue/ 

91. haa quibble upon 'bah!' 

92. gav^st thou my letter to Julia? It is remarkable that 
Proteus should employ Valentine's servant as his go- 
between rather than his own man, Launce. Lucetta 
confirms this at i. 2. 38. We hear nothing of Launce 
until he appears in 2. 3. and Proteus' words 'I must go 
send some better messenger' (i. i. 147) make it possible 
that he first engaged Launce after Speed's departure. 



I. I. NOTES 8s 

though Speed, in a suspect scene however (v. p. 8i), 
welcomes Launce to * Padua' (2. 5. i) as an old friend 
and Proteus' servant. Pope placed the whole of this 
dialogue between Proteus and Speed in the margin as 
'interpolated by the players/ and it is quite conceivable 
that we have here an addition by the adapter, v. p. 81 
and notes 2. i. 73-4; 2. 4. 7; 2. 5. i; 3. i. 295; 5. 4. i. 
Lucetta's words, which occur in a verse-scene un- 
touched by the adapter, show, however, that a *Sir 
Valentine's page' figured in the original text. 

95. a laced mutton i.e. a strumpet (N.E.D.). v. G. 
It is strange that Proteus should tolerate such language 
from a servant in reference to his lady. 

108. But what said she? etc. F. 'Pro. But what faid 
fhe?/S^. l.jPro. Nod-I, why that's noddy.' If the text 
was made up of players' parts and their cues, the con- 
fusion is readily explained. Speed's nod, indicated no 
doubt in the prompt-copy, would not necessarily be in 
his part, while the parts alone, without the cues, would 
give 'Nod-I' twice over. Speed's explanation (1. iii) 
confirms our reading. Theobald reads 'Pro. But what 
said she? did she nod? /Speed [first nodding] Ay.' 

119-20. nothing.,. noddy Note the quibble. 

I33"~37- S'^'^y I could. ..hard as steel. We have pre- 
served the F. arrangement, as doggerel may be intended; 
but 11. 139-40 are also printed as verse. It must have 
been difficult at times for a compositor, or copyist, to 
distinguish between prose and verse in players' parts, 
which were written on narrow slips of paper. 

134. ducat i.e. about 3/6, seven times the 'testern' 
Proteus had just given him. 

141. testerned (F2) F. 'cestern'd' (i.e. cisterned!). 
I. 2. 

9. Sir Eglamour It is curious that Silvia also has a 
friend of this name, and that her praise of him (4. 3. 
11-13) has points of likeness with Lucetta's depreciatory 



86 NOTES 1.2. 

comment. Is it possible that they were the same per- 
son in the original? 

12. Mercatio Perhaps a misprint for 'Mercutio.' 

30. Fire A dissyllable, as frequently elsewhere in 
Shakespeare, cf. 2. 7. 22. 

33-41. Note the versification here: seven unrhymed 
three-foot lines, followed by a couplet of rhyming alexan- 
drines. F. prints 11. 38-9 as one, but Shakespeare's in- 
tention was probably to adhere to the three-foot pattern. 

50. That,.. ruminate F. reads *Exit' at the end of 
this line, v. p. 78. 

68. /j- z7 (Capell) F. ^s't 

69-70. me at... maid 3. quibble, 'meat' being pro- 
nounced as 'mate.' Cf. M.JV.W. note 5. 5. 115 and 
Wyld, Hist, of Mod. Colloquial English^ p. 210. 

73-4. three-foot lines. 

80-97. Give me a note etc. For the understanding 
of this dialogue and the accompanying stage-business, 
it is necessary to follow closely the series of quibbles 
upon which they turn. It will, therefore, be more 
convenient to explain them here than in the G.: — note 
(i) i.e. of music, (ii) a letter in reply to Proteus; set (i) 
set to music, (ii) write; 84 burden (i) load, (ii) refrain; 
86 / cannot reach so high (i) it is beyond the compass 
of my voice, (ii) he is of too high a rank for me; 88, 89 
tune (i) correct pitch, (ii) temper, mood, humour; 91, 93 
sharpy flat obvious quibbles, denoting a pinch and a 
slap; 94 descant i. e. variations; 95 mean (i) tenor 
(possibly Proteus is meant), (ii) Lucetta's 'moan' 
(cf. M.N.D. 5. I. 330); 96 bass, with a quibble upon 
'base,' i. e. low conduct; 97 bid the base a phrase *from 
the game of prisoner's base, meaning that one of the 
players challenges the players on the opposite side 
to pursue him; thus leaving the prisoner at the base 
free to escape. Proteus is the 'prisoner'; Lucetta 
'bids the base' by challenging Julia to pursue her. 



1.2. NOTES 87 

82. the tune of 'Light 0' love' Cf. J do 3. 4. 38 * Light 
o' love,' that goes without a burden' 

91-3. three-foot Hnes; cf. 11. 33-41. 

96. your unruly F. *you vnruly' 

98. babble possibly for 'bauble'; both * babble' and 
* bauble' could be spelt 'bable' in the i6th century. 

106. injurious wasps i.e. her fingers. 

121. fearful-hanging (Delius) F. 'fearfull, hanging' 

130. Madam Printed with 1. 131 in F. Possibly 
actor's 'gag,' v. p. 79. 

131. your father This and i. 3. 48 are the sole refer- 
ences to Julia's father in the received text. At 2. 7. 
86-7 Julia appears to be an orphan. The death of a 
father would add pathos to her figure; his character 
and the reference to his decease, which perhaps occurred 
in 2. 2., have, probably, been *cut' by the abridger. 

137. month's a dissyllable; probably spelt 'moneths' 
in the original. F. gives *moneths' at 4. I. 21. 

I. 3. 

1. Panthino F. gives two forms of this name. We get 
'Panthion' in 'The names of all the Actors' and in the 
scene-headings of 2. 2. and 2. 3. 'Panthino' occurs in the 
scene-heading of i. 3., probably because it is so spelt in 
the opening line of the scene. The name appears again in 
I. 3. 76, where it is misprinted 'Panthmo' which proves 
that 'Panthino' was the reading of the 'copy' at that 
point. In short, the evidence suggests that 'Panthino' 
was the spelling of Antonio's 'part,' while 'Panthion' 
was that of the 'plot' material (v. pp. 77-8). We have 
followed Capell, and printed it 'Panthino' throughout. 

2. my brother Another mysterious character, who 
possibly figured in the original. 

7. out: F. 'out.' 

24. whither F. 'whether'; a Shakespearian spelling, 
also found at 3. i. 51 and frequent elsewhere. 

27. the emperor The reigning monarch of Milan is 



88 NOTES 1.3 

five times called 'emperor' in this scene (cf. 11. 38, 41, 
58, 67)', Launce refers to *the Imperial's court' at 2. 3. 
4; and he appears to speak of himself as 'emperor' at 
2. 4. 75 and of his daughter as 'empress' in the previous 
line and again at 5. 4. 142. On the other hand, he is 
styled 'Duke' in 'The names of all the Actors,' in all 
scene-headings and prefixes, but only three times in 
the text itself, viz. twice in Launce's prose speech (4. 4. 
17, 21) and once in a line of 'verse' (5. 4. 123), which lies 
under strong suspicion of having been garbled and, in 
any event, occurs in a scene which had suffered severely 
from the adapter's hand. This being so, and seeing that 
'Duke' is the sole title employed in the 'plot' material, 
we conclude that 'emperor' was the Shakespearian style, 
'Duke' that of the theatre and the abridger. 'Shake- 
speare has been guilty of no mistake in placing the em- 
peror's court at Milan. Several of the first German em- 
perors held their courts there occasionally' (Steevens). 

28. short line. 

30. tournaments, F. 'Turnaments;^ 

45-50. The broken lines at the beginning and end of 
this speech suggest abridgment. As F. repeats Pro. 
before 1. 51, the 'cut' may have involved comments by 
Antonio and Panthino also, though the repetition was 
perhaps only due to the copyist inadvertently tran- 
scribing Antonio's cue. 

84. resemhleth To be pronounced as a quadrisyllable 
(Theobald). With 84-7 cf. Son, 33. 

88. father F. 'Fathers.' 

2. I. 

3. but one a quibble upon 'on'; the two words were 
commonly spelt alike in the i6th century. 

19. malcontent F. 'Male-content,' which most edd. 
follow; but to retain the old form confuses by suggest- 
ing a quibble which was not intended. 

relish a love-song v. G. 'relish.' 



2.1. NOTES 89 

26. one of the lions * If Shakespeare had not been think- 
ing of the Hons in the Tower, he would have written 

'Mike a Hon" '(Ritson). But possibly the player pointed 
to the lions on a royal standard displayed in the theatre. 

32. without ye v. note 4. i. 3. 

35. none else would This has puzzled many. Johnson 
suggested *be so simple^ understood. 

73-4. to put on your hose Many conjectures, none 
satisfactory, e.g. 'put on your shoes,' 'beyond your 
nose,' 'put on your clothes' (cf. 'close' for 'clothes' 
Ham, 4. 5. 52). But Speed's jests are beyond inquiry. 

75-6. Belike^ hoy, etc. F. prints this speech as two 
lines of verse; cf. note i. i. 133-37. 

96. servant v. G. 

128. good-morrow, servant F. prints 'Exit. Sil.' at the 
end of this line, v. p. 78. 

2. 2. 

It is difficult not to believe that this scene was longer 
in the original, and that the F. only gives us a scrap 
from the end. Julia is an interesting character, of whom 
we hear too little. 'The dialogue,' it has been observed, 
*will scarcely float the action and the scene is therefore 
difficult to play — a very un-Shakespearian quality' 
(Shak, League Journal, Nov. 1920). Abridgment would 
explain the two lines of prose at the opening of a verse- 
scene. Cf. note 5. 3. 

6. F. divides 'Why then we'll make exchange;/Here, 
take you this.' Possibly owing to abridgment. 

14. tide cf. note 2. 3. 35. 

19. / come, I come The repetition, which ruins the 
line of verse, was perhaps due to actor, v. p. 79 and 
note 4. 3- 4- 

2. 3. 

7. hands; F. 'hands,' 

27. a wood woman (Theobald) F. 'a would-woman.' 



90 NOTES 2.3. 

Theobald's emendation is accepted by all mod. edd. It 
makes excellent sense; 'wood' = mad, with a possible 
reference to the wooden shoe; but it is not without 
difficulties. If 'wood' stood in the original, it is not 
easy to see how it became altered into 'would,' since 
/ of 'would' was still sounded in Shakespeare's day. 
Pope read 'an old woman,' and it is conceivable that 
Shakespeare wrote 'a nould,' an appropriate form in 
Launce's mouth. Another possibility is ' a wold-woman, 
i.e. a country-woman. 

28. breath up and down Perhaps in reference to the 
lace of the shoe. 

29-30. the moan she makes Launce, we suppose, 
swishes the staff through the air as he says this. 

34-5. lose the tide A tide at Verona! cf. note 1. 51. 

48. In my tail! (Hanmer) F. 'In thy Taile'; a common 
type of compositor's slip. For the jest cf. Shrew 2. i. 
215-20. 

50. S.D. he looses crab 'lose' and 'loose' were spelt 
alike in the i6th century. 

51. the river This suggests that the journey from 
Verona to Milan was made by river, but anyhow the 
river at Verona is not tidal, cf. note i. i. 54. 

2. 4. 

7. S.D. he goes out We follow Clark and Glover in 
giving Speed an exit here since he has nothing further 
to say in this long scene. But no motive for the exit is 
provided by the text, which had perhaps been tampered 
with by the adapter at this point in order to give Speed 
an entry (v. p. 81). Note that 11. 1-46 are prose, while 
all that follows is in verse. There is strong evidence 
that the prose section was originally in verse also, inas- 
much as 1. 36 is an isolated blank-verse line, and printed 
as such in the F. 

19. quote v. G. 



2.4- NOTES 91 

27. live in your air The chameleon was supposed to 
live on air. 

34. giver V. G. 

41-4. / know it well etc. Printed as verse in F. 

47. Now...hesetT\\\s abrupt, and (in view of 3. i. 21-3) 
equivocal, remark is strongly suggestive of a *cut/ 

59. broken line. 

60. / know (Hanmer) F. 'I knew' 

70. Come (Rowe) F. * Comes'; compositor's grammar. 

83. cite Malone reads "cite,' i.e. incite. 

97. S.D. Thurio goes out v. note 1. 113. 

106. a worthy mistress (F2) F. 'a worthy a Miftreffe. ' 

113. S.D. Thurio returns Theobald reads * Enter Ser- 
vant,' followed by mod. edd. But F. gives 1. 114 to 
Thur. Note: (i) The Duke enjoins Thurio to welcome 
Proteus, but Thurio takes no part in the dialogue after 
Proteus' entry. We, therefore, give him an exit there, 
(ii) He cannot have been originally intended to go out 
and return with the Duke's message, since Silvia, after 
replying to the message, turns to him and bids him come 
with her. If the adapter 'cut' Thurio's speeches at the 
entry of Proteus in order to save lines and a part (i.e. the 
servant's), the discrepancy in the text is explained. 

128. high imperious thoughts — a difficulty. Possibly 
'thonges' stood for 'thoughts' in the original. 

164. makes F. 'make'; compositor's grammar. 

170. dream This use of 'dream' (again in opposition 
to 'dote') recurs at 4. 4. 79. 

1J&-JJ. The extra-metrical 'Ay, and,' taken with the 
broken line 176, suggest a 'cut' and slight adaptation. 

188. F. gives 'Exit' at the end of this line, v. p. 78. 

189. / will Again suggestive of a 'cut.' 

194. It is mine etc. Many attempts to emend this 
line, all unsatisfactory. But v. pp. 79-80. 

197. She is fair etc. The halting rhythm of this line 
is suspicious. 

207. her picture Edd. explain this as referring to 



92 NOTES 2.4. 

Silvia's 'outer show' as opposed to *her mind'; but this 
does not fit in with 1. 209 *But when I look on her per- 
fections.^ Note: (i) Silvia's picture is, in fact, intro- 
duced at 4. 2. (ii) Proteus' two long soliloquies come 
very close together in the transmitted text (cf. note 2. 
5. i). It seems possible, therefore, that * picture' here 
originally meant a portrait and that this speech, in the 
unabridged version, was spoken before Proteus had 
actually met Silvia. 

208. dazzled F. Mazel'd/ The metre demands a 
trisyllable; cf. i. 3. 84. 

2. s. 

I. Padua for * Milan.' The topography of this text 
is as confused as everything else about it; * Verona' is 
printed for 'Milan' at 3. i. 81 and 5. 4. 130, both in 
verse, where 'Milan' would be unmetrical. The con- 
fusion has been laid at Shakespeare's door; but as we 
cannot tell what his version contained, it is safer to 
attribute it to the abridger. Indeed this whole scene is 
so empty and formless that we can only assign it to 
the adapter, v. p. 81. Having brought Proteus' two 
soliloquies together he was obliged to pen an interval- 
scene of some kind, v. note 2. 4. 207. 

19. stands v. G. 'set.' 

36. thouy that F. 'thou that that' 

44. If thou wilt, etc. F. has no comma. F2 reads 'If 
thou wilt goe with me to the Alehoufe, fo:', which is 
an improvement. 

49. go to the ale v. G. 'ale.' 

2.6. 

I, 2, forsworn? So F. Mod. edd. omit the query and 
read a comma after 'Julia' and 'Silvia.' The restoration 
of the F. colons makes the question marks explicable. 
Proteus is brooding. 

24. itself: F. 'it felfe,' 



2.7. NOTES 93 

2. 7. 

S.D. studying a map. At any rate it seems high time 
that somebody did. 

22. fire^s a dissyllable; cf. i. 2. 30. 

30. pilgrimage; F. * pilgrimage.' 

32. wide (Collier) F. *wilde.' Dyce follows Collier, 
and they are surely right. The * ocean' is her 'love' 
where she will ^rest, as after much turmoil/A blessed 
soul doth in Elysium.' No epithet could be more 
inappropriate than 'wild.' 

52. what Apparently some copies of F. read 'that' 
(Malone). 

likes So F. This form is not uncommon in Shake- 
speare, and is generally more euphonious than the -est 
termination. 

63. broken line. 

70. of infinite F2 'as infinite.' Malone reads 'of the 
infinite,' quoting Ado 2. 3. 106 'past the infinite of 
thought.' Hudson reads 'o' the infinite.' 

86-7. All that is mine etc. v. note i. 2. 131. 

3- I. 

I. Thurio's unnecessary entry and exit are perhaps the 
result of an earlier portion of this scene having been 'cut.' 

27. court: F. 'Court.' 

42. presently; F. 'prefently.' 

55. broken line. 

81. Verona for 'Milan.' As 'Milan' will not fit the 
metre, 'Verona' almost certainly was the reading of the 
original version; but v. note 2. 5. i. 

90-105. Note the rhyming couplets here; even 11. 
92-3 are apparently intended to rhyme. 

95. more: F. 'more.' 97. you: F. 'you.' 99. alone: 
F. 'alone.' loi. away: F. 'away.' 

116. apparent v. G. 

140. F. prints the verse-letter in italics, with a space 



94 . NOTES 3.1. 

above and below. It would not be in the Duke's 'part' 
but on a separate piece of paper from which he could 
read it on the stage. 

141, 143, 147. flying, lying, fortune. So F. 

149. should he F2, which all mod. edd. follow here, 
reads * would be/ But * should' is more forcible. 

153. Merops' son v. G. 

170-87. And why not death etc. Note the strong 
resemblance between this speech and Rom. 3. 3. 12-70 
(v. pp. ix-x). The point is important; for, if Romeo's 
speech (Qi), which is altogether more mature than Valen- 
tine's, belongs as we believe to the years 1 591-2, then 
The Two Gentlemen must date from a still earlier period. 

173. Ah! deadly F. *A deadly.' All edd. read 'self: 
a deadly'; but the F. capital, preceded by a period, 
makes it almost certain that *ah!' is intended. 

182. to hey F. *to be;' 

185. to fly his deadly doom i.e. by flying his (death's) 
doom. 

192. There's not a hair etc. The point is that Launce 
has been coursing like a dog, in obedience to Proteus' 
command; 'So-ho!' being the view-halloo in coursing 
the hare (v. Turbervile, Booke of Huntings 1576, p. 248). 
Launce then quibbles upon 'hair' (hare) and 'Valen- 
tine,' a valentine being a token of true-love. He 
means: 'Every hair on his head proves him to be him- 
self — a true-love.' Valentine quibbles on his name in 
the same way at 11. 211, 214. 

216. a proclamation The issue of the proclamation, 
Silvia's interview with the Duke and her committal to 
prison — all are supposed to have taken place during 
Valentine's soliloquy of 18 lines! It seems almost 
certain that an interval-scene originally followed the 
soliloquy and was cut out by the abridger. If so, the 
lost scene probably concerned Julia, and perhaps dealt 
with her arrival at the inn of the Host. Her appearance 



3.1. NOTES 95 

is very abrupt in 4. 2., and Proteus gives a sufficiently 
detailed account of the palace-scene itself. 

221. banished F. 'banifh'd' 

263. but one knave. Several emendations suggested, 
unnecessarily. Launce is referring to the proverb, 
quoted by Heywood {Proverbs), *Two false knaves need 
no broker.' Proteus being 'but one knave' needs his 
broker, i.e. Launce. v. G. 'broker.' 

271. catalogue F. 'Cate-log,' which all mod. edd. fol- 
low as if it were a quibble. This is one example, out 
of many, of a Shakespearian spelling being retained 
and mistaken for a joke. 'Catelog' was formerly a rec- 
ognised spelling (v. N.E.D.). Author's spellings are 
always liable to crop up in comic speeches because the 
compositor then follows his copy more closely than usual. 

272. Inprimis We retain the F. form here and at 1. 295. 

279. master s ship (Theobald) F. 'Mastership' 

280. your old vice still v. G. 'vice.' 

290-91. the son of thy grandmother This jolt-head 
jest is unworthy of Launce. 

295. Inprimisy She can milk. Speed should, of course, 
say 'Item' for 'Inprimis.' Much may lie behind this 
error, since it is just the kind of mistake a reviser would 
make in writing an addition. All the wit in this scene 
lies in Launce's comments upon the 'catalogue,' com- 
ments which he could have made without Speed's help. 
We think it possible, in short, that Speed's part in this 
scene was added by the adapter (v. p. 81). 

296. Ay, that she can For the point of this and 
Launce's other comments, v. G. 'milk,' 'knit,' 'stock/ 
'washed and scoured,' 'set the world on wheels,' 'name- 
less,' 'sweet mouth,' 'proud,' 'praise,' 'liberal,' 'salt.' 

317. not to be — fasting F. 'not to be fafting.' We 
assume that in the original there was a blank after 
'be' for the player to fill up at will; cf. 'et cetera' 
Rom, 2. I. 38. Rowe, followed by all mod. edd., reads 
'not to be kissed fasting.' 



96 NOTES 3.1. 

324. Slip not (Collier) F. *sleepe not': cf. the pun 
*ship* — 'sheep' i. i. 72, *sleppe' = slip, 'slepe' = sleep, 
were i6th cent, spellings (v. N.E.D.). 

345. more hair than zvit a proverbial expression. The 
whole speech is a parody of *This gallant of more wit 
than wealth, and yet of more wealth than w^isdom' 
(Euphues, p. i). 

3. 2. 

3-5. Since his exile etc. 'From this it might be sup- 
posed that some time — days — had passed since Valen- 
tine's departure; but it is not so,' since from 11. 11-13 
*it is evident that but an hour or two at the utmost 
can have elapsed' (Daniel, p. 122). We attribute the 
discrepancy to abridgment. 
7. hours dissyllable. 

13. broken line. 

24-5. broken line, with extra-metrical 'and' in 
following line, suggests adaptation. 

46. You have prevailed Proteus' consent, after 11. 39- 
41, is somewhat suddenly given; possibly the Duke's 
argument was longer in the original. 

49. weed We suggest wend, i.e. to make to wind. 
Possibly mistaken for 'wead' (a minim-misprint, v. 
T.I. p. xli). Thurio continues the metaphor. 

71. Ay Either actor's gag, or relic of a 'cut.' 

JJ. such integrity 'Such' is left in mid-air, while 
'Orpheus' lute' is irrelevant as the passage stands. It 
is possible to defend this as a violent aposiopesis, but 
in a text like the present a 'cut' provides the best ex- 
planation. Malone writes 'I suspect that a line fol- 
lowing this has been lost.' Cf. p. 79. 

91. Let us etc. Halting rhythm suggests adaptation. 

95. broken line. 

4. I. 

This is the first of the forest scenes, which were 
certainly longer and probably more numerous in the 
original version, since nowhere else is the adapter's 



4.1. NOTES 97 

knife busier or more evident. Note (i) the irrational 
mingling of verse and prose in the present scene; (ii) 
the poor quahty of much of the * verse'; e.g. 11. 5, 40, 73. 

3. about ye We fancy that the form 'ye' may have 
been a favourite of the adapter. Bartlett gives more 
instances of its use in this text than in any other. 

10. he's (Capell) F. 'he is' 

21. sixteen months *The sixteen months is not wanted 
for the plot of the play' (Daniel, p. 122); but they may 
have been needed in the original version. 

27. / killed a man The abridged text gives no reason 
for Valentine's falsehood. 

34-5. This is surely too poor to be Shakespeare. 

35. often had been (F3) F. 'often had beene often' 

49. near allied (Theobald) F. 'Neece, alide' A 
minim-error; 'neere' taken for 'neece.' The converse 
mistake is found in John 2. i. 424. 

55-8. And partly., .much want The absence of a finite 
verb in this sentence may be accounted for by a 'cut.' 

56. shape, F. 'fhape;' 

64. consort Note that this word is 'consort' at 3. 2. 84. 

74. crew F. 'Crewes'; compositor's grammar. 
4. 2. 

There is no change of place in this and the two fol- 
lowing scenes, and we have, therefore, treated them as 
one scene, which indeed is how they must have been 
played according to the received text. Such continuity 
of treatment, however, involves difficulties of time, as 
we shall note below, and it seems likely that at least 
one scene, i.e. between 4. 3. and 4. 4., has been lost. 

Daniel notes that while at first sight 4. 2. appears to 
take place on the same day as 3. 2. in which Thurio 
announces his intention to serenade Silvia, this cannot 
be so, because (i) the duke first gives Proteus permission 
to have access to Silvia in 3. 2., while the opening words 
of 4. 2. show that he has been visiting her for some time, 



98 NOTES 4.2. 

days at least; (ii) since 2. 7. stands between two scenes 
both occurring on the day of Valentine's banishment, 
Julia must have set out from Verona on that day, and 
it is impossible that she could have arrived the same 
night at Milan. Adaptation explains all these anomalies. 
1-2. These two lines appear to be not only com- 
pletely different in quality from those which follow, but 
hardly to be described as verse at all. 

25. tuney F. 'tune:' 

26. NoWy my young guest etc. The Host-Julia parts 
of this scene, like the outlaw-scenes, have evidently been 
greatly adapted. Note: (i) the mixture of verse and 
prose; e.g. 11. 26-7, 54, 70-1, 135-6 are lines of verse, and 
so printed in the F. (ii) the F. prints some of the prose as 
lines or half-lines of verse, which suggests that the copy 
from which the 'parts' were derived had been revised. 

allicholy Mistress Quickly makes the same mistake, 
M.WM. I. 4. 148. 

59-60. F. divides 'Not fo; but yet/ So falfe that he 
grieves my very heart-ftrings.' 

83, 86. broken lines. 

91. man! F. 'man:' 

108. Valentine is dead, Daniel notes that this lie 
would lack even the merit of plausibility if the scene 
took place on the same day as Valentine's banishment. 

109. his grave (F2) F. 'her graue' 
114. broken line. 

117. hanging in your chamber Proteus' knowledge of 
the picture suggests that he has had access to Silvia's 
chamber before this scene. But cf. note 2. 4. 207. 

4-3. 

4. Madam, madam! The repetition ruins the line of 
verse, but may be explained as actor's gag or careless 
copying on the 'part.' 

13. The actor or adapter appears to have added 
'wise'; without it the line runs well. 



4.3- NOTES 99 

17. abhors (Hanmer) F. 'abhor'd' 

23. Mantua cf. 5. 2. 47. But * Mantua' may be part 
of the general topographical confusion of the text. 

43-4. At Friar Patrick's cell etc. These words appear 
to be borrowed from 5. 2. 41-2 or vice versa. 

45-6. Note that the scene suddenly drops into prose. 
4.4. 

It is clear from 'That's her chamber' (1. 84) that we 
are still at the foot of Silvia's tower, as in 4. 3. But, 
while Eglamour departs at dawn, Launce does not come 
on until the Duke has at least begun his dinner, i.e. 
after noon, the Elizabethan dining-hour. We may, 
therefore, feel tolerably certain that a scene has been 
cut out between 4. 3. and 4. 4., perhaps one dealing with 
Valentine's life with the outlaws. 

17. the duke's table cf. note i. 3. 27. Yet this speech 
must be Shakespearian. Possibly *duke' was intended 
as a comic error on Launce's part, like * Prodigious son,' 
If so, this may explain how *duke' got into the 'plot' 
material. 

33. Madam Silvia Warburton read 'Madam Julia,' 
with some plausibility, since at any rate on the oc- 
casion of which Launce has just been speaking 'the 
fellow that whips the dogs' allowed him no opportunity 
for taking formal leave of Silvia. 

40. / will do (Malone) F. 'ile doe' 

42. two days Yet, as the text stands, the impression 
(which is everything in the theatre) we gather is that 
Proteus arrived in Milan only one day before these 
words were uttered, v. head-note to 4. 2. 

45. Jewel We retain the F. capital, which perhaps 
denotes the dog's name. 

52-5. Ay sir, the other squirrel etc. Arranged as four 
verse-lines in F., cf. note i. i. 133-37. 

53. hangman boys (Singer) F. 'Hangmans boyes' 
F2 reads 'Hangmans boy' v. G. 



loo NOTES 4.4. 

6j. know thou (F2) F. 'know thee' The abruptness 
of this Hne is suspicious. 

71. nor love (Johnson) F. 'not leave' F2 reads *to 
leaue' which most edd. follow. But Johnson's reading 
makes better sense, and *loue' might easily be confused 
with Meue'; cf. note i.i. 65. 

73-6. Alas!. ..thou pity her? Mod. edd. arrange these 
lines as 'verse'; but 'I cannot choose but pity her' is 
printed as prose in F. and the dialogue is probably a 
prose patch due to abridgment. 

84. That's her chamber This abrupt parenthesis, 
which alone marks the place where the dialogue occurs, 
is we fancy an addition by the adapter. The foregoing 
Hne halts badly, and the original may have read 

...give her that ring, 
And therewithal this letter: Tell my lady 

105. S.D. Silvia comes from the postern. The received 
text necessitates an entry here for Silvia; yet the follow- 
ing dialogue clearly should take place in Silvia's cham- 
ber, since at 1. 115 she bids Ursula fetch the picture 
and without a pause hands it to Julia. Such a sudden 
change of scene is of course possible on the Elizabethan 
stage, but there is a strong probability that it was here 
due not to Shakespeare but to the adapter who ran two 
scenes into one in order to save lines. The prose at 
11. 111-115 and the broken lines at 11. 125, 136-7, 140, 
146, 155 support this. 

147-8. than she is; /...loved her well, F. 'then she is,/... 
lou'd her well;' transposing the terminal pointing. 
Cf. Tempest note 2. i. 165-6. 

165. Madam, 'twas Ariadne The abrupt 'Madam' 
suggests tampering. 

5. I. 

One suspects abridgment in this very short scene, but 
there are no obvious indications of it. 



5.2. NOTES loi 

Note that this scene falls into two parts: (i) 11. 1-30, 
before the Duke's entry, in which the dialogue is a 
mixture of verse and prose; (ii) the remainder — all verse. 
The prose is perhaps abridged verse. 

5. too little Proteus is quibbling upon* leg'; but his 
meaning is obscure, perhaps because the jest is abridged. 
7. Julia (Boswell) These asides (cf. 11. 13, 18, 21, 24, 
28) all clearly belong to one character, and F. gives them 
to Julia, except this one, which it assigns to Proteus, and 
11. 13-14 which it assigns to Thurio. In stringing to- 
gether players' parts the name-indicators would be 
peculiarly liable to confusion in rapid dialogue like this. 
9. fair i.e. Thurio is ' fair-faced '=a specious de- 
ceiver. 

13. pearls v. G. 

20. she makes no doubt of that i.e. she knows all about 
that. 

26. pities them v. G. * possessions.' 

32. saw Sir Eglamour (F2) F. 'faw Eglamoure' 

34. Why then F. prints as separate line. 



5.3. 

Another outlaw-scene, clearly abridged, cf. Introd. 
p. xvi. Note: (i) the mixture of prose and verse; (ii) the 
cowardice of Eglamour (v. pp. xvi-xvii); (iii) the open- 
ing speech in F. 'Come, come be patient :/We must 
bring you to our Captaine,' which looks like a make- 
shift introduction (cf. 2. 2.), borrowed from 1. 12 below, 
previous matter dealing with the capture of Silvia hav- 
ing been deleted. 

7. Moses F. 'Moyfes' — a i6th cent, form, used by 
Tyndale, Perhaps the original text had more to tell us 
of 'Moses and Valerius.' 



I02 NOTES 5.4. 

5- 4- 
This scene, a 'damned spot/ as it stands, upon 
Shakespeare's dramatic reputation, has long been sus- 
pected of serious corruption. Cf. Introd. pp. xiii-xix. 
After the foregoing analysis of the text as a whole, the 
reader will, we hope, be prepared to agree that the 
matter has passed beyond conjecture into certainty. 
Distinct scenes in Shakespeare's original, we believe, 
went to the manufacture of this, the adapter's master- 
piece. Dramatically and metrically it falls into three 
sections: (i) Valentine's soliloquy, followed by Proteus' 
attempted violence upon Silvia which is interrupted by 
Valentine. All this, though not free from *cuts,' is in 
the simple end-stopped verse which we associate with 
the youthful Shakespeare, (ii) The repentance of Pro- 
teus, Valentine's strange surrender of Silvia, and the 
incident of Julia's swoon and the ring. This section is 
in quite another style, marked by enjambment, strong 
medial pauses and — strange combination! — a riot of 
rhymed couplets, mingled with scraps of prose, in one 
of which (v. note 1. 89) we find a fossil line of blank- 
verse. Further it contains passages which approach 
perilously near to nonsense, e.g. 11. 71-2, 107-10, 1 13-16. 
From the remarkable silence of Silvia, while events so 
vital to her happiness were proceeding (v. p. xviii), 
we may suppose that the adapter was here availing him- 
self of hints from a Shakespearian scene between Valen- 
tine, Proteus and Julia, at which Silvia was not present. 
But, if so, they were hints only, for we can hardly doubt 
that the section as it has reached us is virtually his 
own composition, (iii) In the third section, which 
begins with the entry of the Duke and Thurio, we re- 
turn to the style of the young Shakespeare. This sec- 
tion may have been taken from a later portion of the 
scene which commenced in section (i). On the other 
hand, it may have been located in Verona (v. note 1. 
130). We cannot tell. One of the minor problems of 



5-4. NOTES ip3 

the scene is the fate of Speed, who was captured with 
Valentine in 4. i. but does not appear here, v. p. 81. 

2. This shadowy desert etc. ColHer suggested 'These 
shadowy, desert,' etc. which is probably right. 

47-9. For whose dear sake etc. Clearly corrupt. 
Daniel proposed *discandied' for * descended' and a 
full-stop after * perjury.' Possibly 'rend thy' should be 
read 'candy' likewise. 

58. jorce ye The repetition in 1. 59, the use of *ye' 
(v. note 4. I. 3), and the metre — all point to the adapter 
as author of this line. 

62-121. This forms the middle, and most corrupt, 
section of the scene. Note that it would just about take 
up one side of a foolscap sheet. 

6j, trusted^ when one' s own right hand (Johnson) F. 
*trufted, when one's right hand.' F2 'trufted now, 
when one's right hand,' which most edd. follow, despite 
the echo of 'now' in 1. 65. The passage is strong enough 
for Shakespeare, and the error perhaps originated 
through careless copying by the adapter. 

71-2. The -private wound etc. Many attempts have 
been made to mend the metre of these lines. The sense 
needs mending also. 

73. short line. Note 'confounds' for 'confound' 

84-98. mey unhappy etc. We print this medley of 
verse-scraps and adapter's prose as it stands in the F. 
It is idle to try and bring order into it. 

87. Why wag! Curious language for Valentine who 
had never seen 'Sebastian' before. 

89-90. which, out of my neglect, was never done A line 
of verse, embedded in a prose speech! The adapter is 
caught — in the act. Cf. p. 80. 

107-10. if shame live... minds Verse and sense leave 
little doubt as to the authorship of these lines. 

1 13-16. makes him run... const ant eye Also patently 
adapter's composition, cf. Introd. p. xvii. Note that 'all 
th' sins' is not Shakespearian. Shakespeare never con- 



I04 NOTES 5.4. 

tracts the definite article before a consonant, except when 

it is preceded by a preposition, e.g. by th', i' th, V th/ etc. 

123. Forbear etc. This long Hne also may be given to 
the adapter, with little hesitation, as part of the stitch- 
work between sections (ii) and (iii). Note that it is the 
only line of * verse' in the text in which the word *duke* 
appears; cf. note i. 3. 27. 

126. Silvia s mine The jingle * Valentine' — 'mine' is 
strongly suggestive of the adapter with his passion for 
couplets. 

130. Verona shall not hold thee v. note 2. 5. i; but 
this dialogue may have taken place in Verona in the 
original. Theobald suggests * Milan shall not behold 
thee'; possibly *hold'= "hold.' 

144. repeal thee home This also is curious. Milan was 
not Valentine's *home.' 

145. Plead a new state v. G. 'state.' 

157. reformed, civil, full of good This description 
agrees with 4. i. 71-3 and 5. 3. 13-14, but certainly not 
with 5. 4. 15-17, 20-1. 



THE STAGE-HISTORY OF 
THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

The Two Gentlemen of Verona has not been a favourite 
in the theatre. Meres mentions it in Palladis Tamia 
(1598); but the earliest performance of which record 
remains is that presented by Garrick at Drury Lane on 
December 22, 1762; and this, according to Genest, was 
the first time the play had been given in that theatre. 
Garrick acted no character in the play; and the produc- 
tion w^as not Shakespeare's play, but a clumsy alteration 
of it by Benjamin Victor, Treasurer of Drury Lane 
Theatre, who made confusion of the plot by altering 
the arrangement of certain scenes, and wrote additional 
matter for the last act in order to bring the comic char- 
acters, Launce and Speed, on the stage again. The 
sixth repetition of this play, on January 25, 1763, saw 
the outbreak of the 'Half-Price Riots.' On this and 
the following evening Drury Lane Theatre was wrecked 
by a gang headed by 'Thady' Fitzpatrick; and John 
Moody, who was acting the Host, only saved the scen- 
ery from being set on fire by dragging the incendiary 
forcibly away. The first recorded performance of the 
play at Covent Garden took place on April 13, 1784; the 
production appears to have been Shakespeare's play, 
with som.e slight alterations; and three representations 
of Shakespeare's play were given by John Philip Kemble 
at Drury Lane in January, 1790. On April 21, 1808, 
however, Kemble, at Covent Garden, fell back on 
Victor's version, of which he retained some of the worst 
features, and added to it some lines of his own com- 
position. In this production Kemble himself played 
Valentine. The production was not liked and was given 
only three times. The stage fortunes of the play reached 



io6 THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 

their low-water mark when Charles Kemble had it 
'degraded' by Frederic Reynolds into a spectacular 
opera, the music being produced at Covent Garden 
on November 29, 1821. At the third performance, 
when a 'Palace of the Hours, and the Temple of Apollo' 
were introduced for the first time, various mishaps 
with the elaborate scenery filled the evening with 
hearty mirth; but the spectacle survived this trial and 
was given twenty-nine times. There is mention of a 
performance of Shakespeare's play at Bath on March 
23, 1822. Macready gave the play, according to the 
received text, at Drury Lane on December 29, 1841; 
Charles Kean in England and America in the eighteen- 
forties, and Samuel Phelps at Sadler's Wells in the 
eighteen-fifties. Of recent years the only productions 
have been that by Osmund Tearle at the Shakespeare 
Festival, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 1890, by Augustin 
Daly (with Ada Rehan as Julia) in New York and 
London in 1895, and by J. H. Leigh at the Court 
Theatre, London, in April 1904, with Acton Bond as 
Valentine. 

Harold Child 



GLOSSARY 



Note, Where a pun or quibble is intended the meanings are 
distinguished as (^), (Z>), etc. 



Agood, in good earnest; 4. 4. 163 
Aimed at, guessed at, hinted at; 

3. I. 45 
Ale, 'go to the ale with a Chris- 
tian.' A reference to ' Church- 
ale,' a parish festival; 2. 5. 49 
Allicholy, i.e. melancholy; 4. 

2. 26 
Alone, peerless; 2. 4. 165 
An-end, perpetually; 4. 4. 59 
Apparent, obvious, evident (i.e. 
almost the opposite of the 
modern meaning, v. Shak. 
Eng. ii. 563); 3. I. 116 
AwEUL, i.e. commanding re- 
spect; 4. I. 46 

Beadsman, one who tells beads, 

or prays, for another; i. i. 18 
Bear with you, (o) endure, (6) 

maintain, support, v. letter; i. 

I. 117-18 
Bid the base, v. note; i. 2. 97 
Boots, 'give me not the boots,' 

i.e. don't make game of me; 

I. I. 27 
Bottom, a bottom was the core 

of the skein upon which the 

wool was wound; 3. 2. 53 
Broker, pander, go-between; 

I. 2. 42 

Change, modulation; 4. 2. 66 
Circumstance, {a) evidence, 
argument, (6), condition; i. 
I- 36, 37, 82 
Codpiece (to stick pins on), part 
of male attire made indeli- 
cately conspicuous in Shake- 
peare's time; 2. 7. 56. Cf. 
Jack of Newbury 'a great 



cod peece, whereon he stuck 
his pins' {Deloney's Works, 
Oxford, p. 27) 

Cold (for catching), i.e. 'lest 
they should catch cold' with 
a quibble upon 'colled' or 
' culled '= embraced; i. 2. 136 

Commend ATiONS,remembrances ; 
1.3. 53 

Competitor, partner, confeder- 
ate; 2. 6. 35. Cf. 'the rivals 
of my watch' Ham. i. i. 13 

CoNCEiTLESs, dull, lacking in 
imagination; 4. 2. 92 

Consort, company (generally 
of musicians) ; 3. 2. 84; 4. i. 64 

Curst, i.e. a shrew; 3. i. 335 

Descant, v. note i. 2. 80-97; i. 

2. 94 
Direction-giver, one who di- 
rects an archer's aim, cf. gave 
aim to; 3. 2. 90 

DiscrPLLNE, instruction; 3. 2. 88 
Dog, 'to be a dog at' = to be 

expert; 4. 4. 12 
Drift, plot, intention; 2. 6. 43; 

3. I. 18; 4. 2. 79 

Ducat, i.e. about 3/6, v. note; 

I. I. 134 
Dump, plaintive melody or song 

(v. Sh. Eng. ii. 442); 3.2. 85 

Earnest, money paid as an in- 
stalment (quibble); 2. i. 150 

Ending anthem, requiem; 3. i. 
240 

Eve's legacy, v. proud; 3. i. 331 

Except, (a) find fault with, (6) 
leave out of account; i. 3. 83; 
5- 2.3 



io8 



GLOSSARY 



Exhibition, maintenance allow- 
ance; I. 3. 69 

Eye (be in), i.e. be within range 
of; I. 3- 32 

Fair, v. note; 5. 2. 9 

Fish, 'as whole as a fish'; 2. 5. 
17. 'Fish-whole' (v. X.E.D.) 
= ' thoroughly sound and 
healthy,' but Launce probably 
intends an indelicate reference 
as well, cf. 'fish-monger' Ham. 

2. 2. 174 

Ga\t: am to, i.e. acted as 'di- 
rection-giver' (q.v.). Here the 
archer, of course, treacher- 
ously shoots at the 'giver' 
instead of the target; 5. 4. 102. 
Halliwell quotes Webster, 
Whiie DrAl,^ 3. i. 25, 'I am at 
the mark, sir: I'll give aim to 
you, 'And tell you how near 
you shoot.' 

Gn'ER, i.e. 'direction-giver' 
rq.v.);2. 4. 34 

Gossips, i.e. female friends in- 
\ited to be present at a birth 
(X.E.D.), or god-parents for 
a child (here illegitimate); 

3. I. 26S 

H.AMA rF ,R, i.e. in the brain; 1.3. 

18 
H-A.NGiL\N BOYS, i.e. scoundielly 

boys fit for the hangman; 4. 

4- 53 
ELaRD -FAVOURED, Ugly; 2. I. 46 

Impose, injunction; 4. 3. 8 
Intluence, i.e. of a star, in the 

astrological sense; 3. i. 183 
I^'LY, i.e. intimate, heartfelt; 2. 

7. 18 
Interpret, to expound the 

meaning of a puppet-show; 

2. I. 91 

J.ADE, vicious or ill-conditioned 
mare or woman; 3. i. 274 



Kill, i.e. subdue; i. 2. 69 
Knit, with a quibble upon 'knit' 

meaning 'conceive' (v. X.E. 

D. 'knit' 4 d.); 3. i. 302 

Laced mutton, cant term for a 
courtesan; 'laced' possibly 
refers to a slashed bodice, 
with a pun on 'lace' i.e. to 
make incisions on the breast 
of a bird before cooking (v. 
X.E.D.); I. 1.95 

Lease (out by), (a) let out to 
others, ih) = leash (i6th cent, 
spelling 'leasse') — so 'out of 
control,' V. possessions; 5. 2. 29 

Letter (ver>- orderly), possibly 
with a quibble upon 'letter' = 
one who lets rooms, i.e. a 
landlady. If so, ' ver>' orderly' 
may be a reference to an ad- 
vertisement posted in the 
window of such apartments. 
Cf. 'bear with you'\ i. i. 119 

LrBER-Ai, i.e. loose in her talk; 3. 
I. 340 

Lumpish, low-spirited; 3. 2. 62 

M-ANAGE, -^ield, 3. I. 247. 

Mean, v. note i. 2. 80-97; 1.2. 
95 

Merops' son. Phaethon was the 
son of Phoebus and ChTnene, 
vrdo. of ^lerops. The Duke, 
in contempt of Valentine's 
birth, refuses to call him the 
son of Phoebus. Possibly a 
pun on 'ropes' (i.e. the ladder 
of cord) may be intended also; 
3- I- 153 

Milk, Launce takes 'milk' in 
the sense of 'entice by wiles.' 
Cf. Fletcher, Rule a Wife, 2. 
4. 'All this is but seeming; to 
milk the lover on' (X.E.D.) 
3. I. 295 

Month's mesd, i.e. a strong in- 
cHnation (orig. a mass said a 
month after the death of a 
person); i. 2. 137 

Motion, puppet-show; 2. i. 90 



GLOSSARY 



109 



Nameless, inexpressible; 3. i. 
311 

Nice, i.e. as we should say 'par- 
ticular'; 3. I. 82 

Nick (out of all), i. e. beyond all 
computation; 4. 2. 73 

Noddy, simpleton, or (adj.) fool- 
ish; I. I. no, 113, 120 

Note, v. note; i. 2. 80-97 

Orderly, v. leUer\ i. i. 119 
Over-shoes, over-boots, 

phrases * expressing reckless 
continuance in a course al- 
ready begun' (N.E.D.), de- 
rived of course from wading 
through water or mire. Lean- 
der was 'over-shoes' in the 
Hellespont; Proteus was 'over- 
boots' in the mire of love. 
Cf. Rom. I. 4. 41 'the mire of 
this sir-reverence love'; i. i. 
24, 25 
Owe, own; 5. 2. 28 

Pearls, cataracts; 5. 2. 13 
Pinfold, pound for stray cattle; 

I. I. 105 
Plead a new state, v. state; 5. 

4. 145 

Possessions, with a quibble on 
'possession' by a spirit; 5. 2. 25 

Post, {a) stock, {h) courier, mes- 
senger; I.I. 149 

Praise, appraise, i.e. sip; 3. i. 
337 

Pretence, intention; 3. i. 47 

Pretended, v. pretence) 2. 6. 37 

Principality, a spiritual being 
of a high rank; 2. 4. 150 

Print (in), precisely; 2. i. 161 

Prodigious, mistake for 'Prod- 
igal'; 2. 3. 3 

Proportion, mistake for 'por- 
tion'; 2. 3. 3 

Proud, Launce takes 'proud' in 
the sense of 'hot-blooded,' 
'lascivious.' Cf. Lucrece, 712 
'The flesh being proud, De- 
sire doth fight with grace'; 3. 
I- 330 



Puddings, guts of an animal; 4. 
4. 29 

Quaintly, cunningly; 2. i. 117; 
3. I. 117 

Quips, retorts; 4. 2. 12 

Quote, observe, note — with a 
quibble on 'coat,' 'quote' 
being pronounced and often 
spelt as 'cote'; 2. 4. 18, 19 

Record, sing, warble; 5. 4. 6 
Relish, sing, warble; 2. i. 19. 
Repeal, recall from exile; 3. i. 

234; 5. 4. 144 
Road, roadstead; i. i. 53; 2. 4. 

185 

St. Nicholas, the patron saint 

of scholars; 3. i. 293 
Salt, with a quibble upon 'salt' 

meaning 'wit'; 3. i. 353 
Search, probe a wound as with 

a surgeon's knife; i. 2. 116 
Servant, one devoted to the 

service of a lady, who was not 

pledged by accepting it; 2. i. 

96; 2. 4. I, 103-5 
Set, i.e. set to music, v. note; i. 

2. 80-97 

Set, i.e .'put down,' with an 
indehcate allusion (cf. 2. 5. 
19-20); 2. I. 81 

Set the world on wheels, ' to 
let things slide, enjoy myself 
(d.Ant.andCleop. 2.7.96-8); 

3. I. 309 

Shot, tavern-reckoning; 2. 5. 
5, 7 

Silly, helpless; 4. i. 72 

Sinews, nerves; 3. 2. 78 

Slow, heavy; 4. 2. 63 

So-HO, V. note; 3.1. 192 

Sort, select; 3. 2. 92 

State, 'plead a new state,' a 
term of rhetoric. State — ' the 
point in question or debate 
between contending parties, as 
it emerges from their plead- 
ings' (N.E.D. 'state' 12); 
5- 4- 145 



no 



GLOSSARY 



Stock (with a wench), dowry; 

3. I. 303 
Sun-expelling mask, *Much 

worn by ladies of quality when 

riding; the eyeholes at times 

were filled with glass' {Sh. 

Eng. ii. 97); 4. 4. 151 
Sweet mouth (she hath a), i.e. 

she is wanton, lecherous. 

Launce takes it literally; 3. i. 

321 
Swinged, thrashed (with a 

quibble perhaps at 2. i. 78, 

cf. M.W.W. 5. 5. 197); 2. I. 

78; 3. I. 371 

Table, tablet for memoranda; 

2. 7.3 
Taken up, scolded, rebuked; 

I. 2. 135 
Tender, have regard for; 4. 4. 

138 
Testerned, 'tipped' with a 

tester, i.e. sixpence; i. i. 141 
Timeless, untimely; 3. i. 21 
Tune, v. note, i. 2. 80-97; i« 2. 

S8, 89 
Turn, be inconstant; 2.2.4 

Ungartered, to go ungartered 
was a conventional sign of the 
love-lorn swain; 2. i. 69 



Urinal, physician's glass for 
testing the patient's water; 

2. I. 37 

Valentine, true-love token; 

3. I. 192, 214 

Vice, 'your old vice still' with a 
quibble upon 'vice' the iniq- 
uity clown of the old mortal- 
ities; 3. I. 280 

Washed and scoured, i.e. 

knocked down and beaten. 

'Wash' is a Shakespearian 

form of 'swash' (cf. Rom. i. i. 

69) and 'to scour '= to beat 

(cf. Hen. V. 2. i. 60); 3. i. 307 
Water-spaniel; 3. i. 270; for 

the 'quah ties' of this animal 

cf. 4. 2. 14 
Well-derived, (a) well-born, 

{b) i.e. a 'great come-down'; 

5. 2. 23 
Well-favoured, (a) gracious 

(cf. 2. I. 52), (b) beloved; 2. 

1. 47, 50 

Wood woman, v. note; 2. 3. 27 

Yet, this word clearly had some 
comic significance now lost (cf. 
Ant. and Cleo. 2. 5. 49; Temp. 

2. I. 40); 2. I. no, 115 






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